Ginger Red Lentil Soup w/ Spinach

I love red lentils because they’re so quick-cooking, and this is one of my favorite dishes using them. This was also one of my favorite meals when I was vegetarian, and it still is today!

If you love Indian food, then this might be the soup for you...a rich combination of red lentils, curry and ginger.

It's full-flavored and totally vegetarian (although, if you aren't, substituting chicken stock works just as well!) :o)

When I first started making this, it was a bare-bones red lentil soup. Slowly, as time went on, I began adding and subtracting things until I finally settled on this current recipe. It's full of ginger, which I'm a huge fan of, but if you're not, feel free to tone it down a bit...

Also, this soup thickens as it sits, so you can add a little stock or water to thin out if desired...


Ginger Red Lentil Soup with Spinach
Serves 6


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons, minced ginger
1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 large carrot diced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed
fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
4 cups vegetable stock ( or low sodium chicken stock)
2 1/2 cups water

1/2 of a lime
1 can of coconut milk (~ 2 cups)
1 10 oz package frozen whole leaf spinach, defrosted (or 4 cups firmly packed baby spinach)
salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Crispy Ginger
2 teaspoons oil
1 hand of ginger (around 5 inches), sliced into thin matchsticks






In a large heavy-bottom pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and teaspoon of salt, and cook until soft. Toss in the curry and other spice powders, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.



Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots. Continue to sauté for an additional 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to scrape up the browned bits.


Stir in the chopped tomatoes. Scrape up the remaining browned bits from the bottom of the pot and cook the mixture for 5 minutes.



Stir in the rinsed lentils, stock, water, bay leaves and thyme, then raise the heat back to medium-high just until the soup reaches a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.


Meanwhile, make the crispy ginger:

Once the ginger has been cut into thin slivers, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat. As soon as the oil is hot, add the sliced ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until the shreds are golden brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs, and let the crisp ginger drain on brown paper / paper towels.


After the soup has simmered, turn off the heat and squeeze in the lime juice.



Fish out the bay leaves and thyme stems with a fork. Puree the soup in a blender or use a stick blender directly in the pot.

(Safety tip: If using a regular blender to puree hot liquids, only blend 1 1/2 cups at a time. Leave the hole in the cover open and just hold a kitchen towel over it. Otherwise, the steam pressure could cause the liquid to explode or blow the cover!)



Stir in the coconut milk and return the soup to a boil over high heat. Let simmer for for 5 minutes. Skim the foam that surfaces off with a spoon. Then, taste the soup and add salt and fresh black pepper as needed.


Turn off the heat. If using defrosted frozen spinach, squeeze out as much water as possible, then add it to the pot and let it melt into the soup.

Serve topped with the crispy ginger.

That's pretty much it!
:o)
Enjoy!