I teased you with this recipe a few weeks ago on Instagram Stories and finally wrote up the recipe for you! Here’s a big shout-out to my mother-in-law, Joyce, who shared this recipe with me.

This is the BEST lentil vegetable soup for many reasons. It’s filled with plant based protein and lots of fiber from the lentils and all the veggies. It’s incredible flavorful. It’s super forgiving, meaning you can really add in any vegetables you have lying around. And, it can be a zero waste recipe because the foundational ingredients are usually found loose in your grocery store!

Enjoy this soup to warm up in the winter or to recover post-illness or post-surgery. I made it for Rob for when he was recovering from dental surgery. It freezes really well, too.

Oh, and for all those fellow moms who rarely think to heat up their own food, it tastes just as good cold!

Lentil Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 onions

• 3 carrots

• 3 celery sticks

• 2 garlic cloves

• 10 small potatoes

• 2 1/4 cups dry lentils

• 3 bay leaves (optional)

• 8 cups low salt vegetable broth

• Avocado oil

Directions:

1. First, prep your vegetables: chop the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and potatoes.

2. Then, drizzle avocado oil in a large pot and heat it over medium heat.

3. Once the oil is hot, add in the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Heat for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.

4. Add in the vegetable stock, bay leaves (if using), dry lentils, and potatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the lentils are cooked and the vegetables are the desired texture.

5. Enjoy with fresh whole wheat sourdough bread or on its own! Store in an airtight glass jar or container in the fridge for 4 days or in the freezer! (If freezing in glass jars, make sure to leave room at the top of the jar for hte liquid to expand when frozen).

Notes: You can get creative and play with the amounts of vegetables and which vegetables you use! We love using leeks instead of onions and we add in lots of little potatoes of all different colors!