Monday Meals: Curried Lentil Soup

Not sure about you, but the Wisconsin Test Kitchen has done A LOT of indulging over the holidays. There were lots of cookies, glasses of wine and slices of homemade pizza. Oh, and those nachos we made for the Packers playoffs. Mmm, nachos. 

But we need to get back on track with eating healthier. We pulled out the crock pot and started making an effort to cook healthy dinners every night. Lentil soup was one of the first meals we made in the new year. It was our first time cooking with lentils, and we were impressed with how easy they are to cook with, and how hearty the dish was. Give this soup a try, it might be one of your new favorites!

Curried Lentil Soup
Recipe courtesy of: Gimme Some Oven

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock*
1 1/2 cups uncooked green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder**
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves
2 cups roughly-chopped baby spinach
3 tablespoons lemon juice, plus extra lemon slices for serving
salt and pepper
chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for topping

DIRECTIONS:

Add the garlic, carrots, onion, stock, lentils, curry powder, cumin, and bay leaves to the bowl of a 4-quart or 6-quart slow cooker, and stir to combine.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, until the lentils are tender.

Stir in the baby spinach and lemon juice until combined.

Taste, and season with salt and pepper to taste. (I used about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, but the saltiness of the soup will vary based on your type of stock.)

Serve warm, garnished with lots of chopped cilantro and extra lemon slices, if desired. 

Do you have any go-to recipes to help detox after the holidays? Please leave your recipes in the comments section; we love hearing from our readers!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew