Description
Healthy, flavorful, and brimming with plant-based goodness, this oil-free Red Lentil Butter Bean Soup is comforting, simple, and easy to pull together.
This recipe was inspired by the Domestic Gothess.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients:
- 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
- 3 cups water
- 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari *
- ¾ cup dry red lentils, picked through and rinsed
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
- 1 teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves (+/-) *
- ¼ + 1/8 teaspoon dried mint (+/-) *
- ¼ + 1/8 teaspoon turmeric (+/-) *
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
- 1/2 to 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt (+/-) *
- 1 bay leaf
Other Ingredients:
- 2 [ 15 oz. cans ] butter beans, drained, rinsed, divided *
- 2 to 4 cups baby spinach, chopped *
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaf) in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
- In a large ceramic/enamel-lined pot or similar stock soup pot, add the diced onions, sauté over medium-high heat until the onions 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.
- 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.
- Simmer for 15 minutes, then add the chopped baby spinach, and one can of the butter beans, simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once all the red lentils are completely tender and have broken down, stir, then push some of the butter beans up against the side of the soup pot and mash them to create a thicken broth. Simmer for several minutes.
- Add the remaining can of butter beans and distilled white vinegar, simmer for 5 minutes, check for seasonings, adjust accordingly (if needed).
- Remove the soup from the stove and allow to sit for 5 minutes for the flavors to marry. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Serve with flatbread or crusty bread.
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