Description
Earthy red lentils cooked with toasted spices and lemongrass-infused broth then finished with a touch of light coconut milk.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup chopped onion)
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced (about 3/4 cup chopped)
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and smashed*
- 3/4 cup light coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Set a pot over medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the celery, onion and carrots and cook vegetables until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the cumin seed, coriander and cayenne to the pot and cook, stirring frequently to toast the spices, about 1-2 minutes. Add lentils, broth and lemongrass and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until lentils are cooked and tender, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk and cook 5 minutes more. Add lemon juice, then remove pot from the heat.
- Using a stick blender or regular blender, puree the soup to a smooth consistency. (Note: If using a regular blender, stay safe and prevent unwanted burns by blending in batches and allowing soup to cool slightly before pureeing.
- Serve warm topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Notes
- To prepare the lemongrass for the soup, first remove the outer leaves from the stalk. Take off a few layers until you get to the more tender inner leaves. Trim off the root end and also cut off the top of the stalk, leaving about 5 inches of lemongrass. Gently smash the stalk using a meat mallet, the back of a large knife or rolling pin to release the oils and then add to the soup pot.
- Portion is a generous 1/2 cup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 282
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 71
- Fat: 13
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Protein: 24
- Cholesterol: 52