Healthy Lentil Macaroni Soup!

Delicious, nourishing, and hearty, this oil free Healthy Lentil Macaroni Soup is perfect when you need something warm, filling, and tasty for weeknight dinner. Packed with wholesome veggies, protein-rich lentils, and carbolicious macaroni, this tasty soup is seasoned with aromatic autumn herbs and spices. The whole family will love it!

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

We love lentils.  They are packed with protein and very reasonably priced.  Our favorite is Palouse Brand Small Brown Lentils.  They are crazy delicious and really hold their shape well when cooking, emphasis on the ‘hold their shape well’.

I’ll be honest, I hate mushy lentils.  I love that this brand holds its shape and before you ask, no – this isn’t a sponsored advertisement for Palouse.  We just love this brand A LOT and want you to enjoy them too!  Our pantry is filled with lentils both dry and canned!

We love lentils so much that we did a Roundup of lentil recipes: Click Here

Tips for Success:

• Pasta: Please choose a Whole Food Plant Based pasta of your choice.
• Type of Cooked Pasta: Just about any type of small-cut pasta works well in this soup. We suggest using ditalini, elbow macaroni, or small shells.
• Gluten Free Pasta: We suggest cooking gluten-free pasta separately as it tends to release a lot of starch and clouds up the soup broth.
• Extra Herbs at the End: To really pop those yummy herbs, adding a pinch of thyme, rosemary, and sage brightens the soup broth with those earthy flavors.
• Low Fat Dish Expectations: This dish is designed to be a low-fat dish.  It is not going to taste as decadent as a dish that has a higher fat content.  It is very delicious, but we want to make sure the reader understands this.  If you wish to make it more decadent, top with Vegan Parmesan Cheese.
• Simmering Lentils rather than Boiling: Do not cook lentils at a rolling bowl, they will cook too fast and cause them to split and get mushy. Simmer at a gentle boil.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes.  We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the petite diced tomatoes) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. The baking soda also helps speed up the cooking process when combining tomatoes with lentils.
• Sea Salt: Leave the sea salt out until the lentils are tender.  Salt tends to make it difficult to get lentils tender.  Wait until they are perfectly tender, then add the sea salt.
• Amount of Sea Salt: We had family members completely divided over the amount of sea salt needed to season this soup, feel free to adjust to suit your own tastes accordingly.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered container.  Reheating can be done on the stovetop, or in the microwave.

This dish can be frozen; however, it is best if served immediately after making or after refrigerating leftovers. Pasta does tend to get a little mushy after freezing.

Pantry Products Used:

• Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.
• Dried Crushed Thyme Leaves: If you can’t find dried crushed thyme leaves, you can use ground thyme, but use a third to half the amount.
• Dried Rubbed Sage: The sage we use has an almost fluffy texture when it comes out of the jar. If your sage is ground to a powder, consider using a third to half the amount.
• Dried Rosemary Powder: If using crushed rosemary, use the amount suggested and increase as needed.
• Lentils: We used Palouse Brand Small Brown Lentils.  They are delicious.  They hold their shape well and have a slightly nutty taste to them.  Feel free to use your favorite brown or green lentils.

Kitchen Products Used:

• Stock pot to cook the pasta (if gluten free pasta is used)
• Ceramic/Enamel Lined Dutch Oven or similarly large stock pot

We certainly hope you give this deliciousness a try.

If you try this tasty dressing, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us!  We would love to hear from you.

Healthy Lentil Macaroni Soup

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 30-40 Minutes
• Total Time: 40 Minutes (+Rest Time)
• Yield: 4-5 Servings 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Delicious, nourishing, and hearty, this oil free Healthy Lentil Macaroni Soup is perfect when you need something warm, filling, and tasty for weeknight dinner.

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
• 1 to 2 carrots, sliced into thin penny rounds
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
• 4 cups water
• 1 – [ 14.4 oz. can ] petite diced tomatoes *
• 1 cup dry brown lentils, picked through and rinsed *
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda * 

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
• ¼ teaspoon dried rubbed sage (+/-) *
• ¼ teaspoon dried ground rosemary (+/-) *
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves (+/-) *
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
• 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt (+/-) *
• 1 bay leaf 

Other Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 2/3 cup dry elbow macaroni *

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Instructions

1. If using gluten free macaroni, we recommend cooking the macaroni separately according to package direction. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to remove excess starches. Drain well and set aside until Step 6.
2. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the sea salt and bay leaf) in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
3. In a large ceramic/enamel-lined pot or similar stock soup pot, add the diced onions, celery, and carrots, sauté over medium-high heat until the veggies begin to soften, approximately 7 to 9 minutes, stirring periodically to prevent burning. Add a tablespoon or so of water if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
4. Add the minced garlic, sauté for 30 seconds, then add all the remaining Base Ingredients and Spice/Herb Mix, stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, tuck in the bay leaf, then lower to a low-boiling simmer, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes (or until the lentils are tender).  Stirring occasionally.
5. After 20 to 30 minutes, check the lentils for tenderness. If the lentils are not tender, continue to simmer (covered) until tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
6. Once the lentils are tender, add the distilled white vinegar, sea salt, and dry elbow macaroni (or cooked macaroni, if gluten free). At this time, also add an additional pinch of the following herbs: sage, rosemary, and thyme. Stir to combine, then turn off the burner, and allow the pot to sit on the stove, covered with a tight-fitting lid and allow to sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, check the macaroni for tenderness (if needed), if not tender, simply cover and allow to sit for several more minutes or until the elbow macaroni is tender.  Serve and enjoy!

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Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Servings: 4 to 5 (makes 8 ¾ cups)

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