Creamy French Lentil Soup
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Get a hearty dose of fiber, leafy greens, healthy fats, and cancer-fighting alliums and turmeric in this creamy lentil soup. Vegan & GF.
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ½ cup raw cashews (OR ⅔ cup sunflower seeds), soaked in hot water at least 30 min.
  • ½ yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard, stalks separated and chopped, greens chopped (OR 4 cups fresh spinach)
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1½ tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tsp. ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more to thin soup as needed
  • 1 cup French green lentils, rinsed
  • 1 tsp. white wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a large soup pot over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and Swiss card stalks in ¼ inch of water until soft (about 7 min). Add more water as needed to prevent burning.
  2. Stir in the cumin, thyme, turmeric, and smoked paprika and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the can of diced tomatoes, broth, and lentils. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30-35 min. until the lentils are soft.
  3. While the soup simmers, make the cashew cream. Drain the soaked cashews and add to a blender, along with ½ cup of water. Blend until completely smooth.
  4. When the lentils are cooked, turn off the heat and add the Swiss chard greens, cashew cream, and white wine vinegar, and stir to wilt the greens. Add more broth to thin soup to desired consistency and taste for salt and pepper.
Notes
The recipe calls for French green lentils, but black or red lentils will also work! Red lentils will dissolve a bit and make the soup more like a starchy Indian dal. You will need to add more broth or water. Black lentils maintain their shape and are a bit chewier, but also work well in this soup.

I recommend using the greens that look best in the grocery store. If the chard doesn't look great, go with spinach, kale, or beet greens!

This soup is great as leftovers! It keeps in the fridge up to 6 days and in the freezer (covered with plastic wrap then a lid to prevent freezer burn) about 3 months.
Recipe by Daily Dose of Greens at https://dailydoseofgreens.com/2019/12/11/creamy-french-lentil-soup/