So I thought I was excited about fall.
But then the rain came. And it got cold. And now I would like summer back. Pretty, pretty please!!
Also, my nectarine Alex!
[I ate the nectarine for a snack. It was not good.]
I wrapped up a lot of business at the bakery and then headed home to make a quick dinner.
This is a perfect example of how making something healthy can be cheap, easy and quick.
Lazy Girl’s Lentil Soup
This soup is thrown together with pantry staples but tastes quite flavorful and is very filling. I’d recommend bacon (we didn’t have any!) or a dash of smoked paprika or Liquid Smoke for even more fun. Garnish with plain yogurt or sour cream!
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups dried french lentils [you can use brown but they won’t be quite as flavorful or round. Red will turn to mush!]
- 4 cups broth of your choice
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup fresh peppers or frozen
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp yellow curry powder [I would maybe add even more!]
- 1/2 tsp garam masala [sub in a mix of ginger/cinnamon if you don’t have this]
- Kosher salt + black pepper to taste
Method
- Put all in pot.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce to simmer.
- Cook for…like 20 minutes? Who cares! Till you feel like it.
Serve with crusty toasted bread!
Which would have been even better if we’d had butter and it hadn’t been a week old!
Dark chocolate makes the evening complete.
{ 72 comments… read them below or add one }
Not to sound creepy, but you have photogenic fingers! Mine are wrinkly and old
. Hi, Alex!
Ha!
Feeling the same way about the weather. Especially since I was umbrella-less… running to my car.. with pounding feet since it was my first day wearing heals after having the summer off. No fun. Summer & flip flops please.
Baha this recipe is great! I definetly will be trying this! Yum
Mmmm…. lentils…..
I’m in the same boat. Oh, sunshine, where did you go?
So true — the perfect example of an easy, healthy dinner. Many people just don’t realize how un-complicated a delicious meal can be!
Looks lovely for this autumn evening.
I’m still excited about fall, BUT we haven’t had the rainy weather like you! Here in MN, we had some lower temps over the weekend (60s), but now it looks like it’s going to get hot again! I’m ready for my apple cider and pumpkin beer!!
Crusty bread is the best — bummer about not having any butter!
I have to say…I love Alex’s shirt!
Yes, that bread looks so crunchy and delicious!! Yum! I forget about lentils in my pantry…need to move them to the front row!!
I love his shirt!! That is SO my mantra!!
Mmmm, an indian inspired lentil soup. Looks super delicious. Next time I recommend topping with coconut butter (?)
Honey, I love reading you, but… I live in Texas, the land of drought, 40+ days of 100+ temps and massive wildfires. I find myself immediately deleting the “please stop raining posts” without even reading.
I’m talking about charlottesville… where there are flood threats…not the world in general. Of course I would send all the rain in the world to Texas if I could.
Amen. Everything is flooding here. My apartment flooded and filled with water on Sunday night, destroying a bunch of my stuff. We’re supposed to have 12-14 inches of rain once all is said and done.
Hope some of it heads your way, Texas!
“Here” being South Central PA, that is.
I live in Seattle. I would send you all my rain, all 9 months of it, Connie, and then you’d probably get pissed at me!
You can’t please everyone Kath can you?
“Cook for like 20 minutes?? Who cares!” Love. All recipes should be like this. And I will eat your week old bread any old day!
Hee hee, I loved this, too- I like to imagine she had some extra beer while writing that
Hysterical! Exactly why my culinary specialty is soup – nearly foolproof!
Mmmm…perfect meal for the cold weather snap so many of us have had!
I loooove lentils and peas together! I had that combo tonight for dinner!!!
Lentil soup is always the answer for cheap, easy and delicious. Oh and crusty bread is always a must with it! Dinner looks delicious!
It’s chilly here too! I just put on yoga pants and fuzzy socks
“Save a cow, eat a carb” This is my new favorite phrase.
oooh I made something similar for dinner last week! And yes – so very easy to prepare – but also oh so delicious!
I’m a bit jealous of your cold weather if t makes you feel any better. FL is still sticky and humid…Love that recipe! I’ll have to try it one night…I’m definitely a lazy girl type of cook
I just posted about pantry staples today too…Trader Joe’s edition though
I totally agree that in order to eat healthier, you have to have healthy ingredients around the house that can be easily converted into quick meals.
I am sweating while I’m typing this, we currently have a heat wave in SoCal, I wish it would cool down a little bit. Just a little bit…it’s still summer around here after all.
immediately added this to my google docs recipe folder! Looks delicious! Well, anything with curry looks delicious to me!
I am ALL about easy and delicious and healthy. Sounds like a perfect meal to me!
I have a package of ready-made vacuum-sealed lentils from TJ’s in my fridge. I now know exactly what I’m going to do with them
Isn’t it such a disappointment when the fruit you are excited to eat ends up bland/mushy? I shed a little internal tear every time.
Can you use canned lentils or will they turn too mushy?
“Cook for…like 20 minutes? Who cares! Till you feel like it.”
Best cooking instruction ever. Love it.
i agree that dried FRENCH lentils are much more flavorful than the other variations. i am in the process of compiling easy weeknight fall/winter meals and will definitely add this one to the queue! thanks kath
Dark chocolate + licorice make a few of my evening meals complete <3
Looks like a good recipe to keep tucked away for a lazy evening!
How about just Fall, instead of summer. I think it did get a lot colder than normal Fall temps, so I think that’s what we’re missing. And the rain – I can always do without the rain.
I am a big advocate of yogurt in place of sour cream! I never have sour cream handy when I need it anyways.
Crusty bread, warm soup & dark chocolate … perfect meal.
I wish we could have a decent transition between seasons, but no
Yes on the red lentils turning to mush! I learned that years ago…the hard way. I thought 20 mins meant 20 mins no matter the type of lentils. WRONG! That’s why I only use french/green now b/c I cannot stand the mush factor!
“Cook for…like 20 minutes? Who cares! Till you feel like it. ” <– THAT's my style too
Mmmmm the lentils look so delicious!! It really does remind me of Fall. It’s a little chilly here in socal at NIGHT only, but it still feels so summery through the day. Interesting to see all these different parts of just ONE country.
lentils n chocolate would be a good name for a blog!
I love how easy and full of flavor that soup is! I am going to spend probably triple the time making a soup tomorrow…but I always do that when I make a soup, something about the chopping and dicing I get all caught up in
Hope you have a good night, and I’m praying for summer to come back, too!
That shirt makes me happy—>”Save a cow, Eat a carb.”
This made me laugh: “Cook for…like 20 minutes? Who cares! Till you feel like it.”
Speaking of pretty…Bobbi Brown has launched her Pretty Powerful 2.0 Campaign.
Please, please, please vote for fellow blogger Maria Broaddus of The Fitted Apron!
http://prettypowerful.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/contestants?search=region&sort_by=votes&word=mid-west#contestant=1322
I made lentil “soup” from water the other day because I didn’t have any broth
I’ve got the lazy aspect in the BAG
Ah, I felt the same way here in Boston today! The breezy weather was so nice and refreshing… then the cold, damp rain came. BOOO!
That lentil soup looks amazing! I wish I liked lentils… they are so good for you. Peas, I adore.
Almost the weekend! Kinda
<3 The <3 chcolate
I have bittersweet feelings about fall being here too… I change my mind every day. Needless to say, that lentil soup looks very good! And easy too which is a plus!
I <3 sour cream!!! It is my absolute fave garnish!!! I actually found a humungous 3 lb. container of it, and was so excited. Now I do not have to keep buying the 16 oz. containers of it.
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
I like the lazy girl way!!
Yeah, this morning’s run made me miss summer morning runs..but I still love, love this weather!!
Love yogurt with savoury meals and the hot/cold contrast- so refreshing!
Lentil soup always reminds me of cozy nights by the fire in my parents house.
Sounds easy-peasy and delicious – what’s not to love?
Thank you!
I made some Indian-spiced lentils too. Love how easy and filling they are. All that good protein and fiber.
I LOVE lentil soup – and if I had that bread on the side I would absolutely love it even more.
And I know, I hear you about Fall. I was SO excited, but this rainy chill is not what Fall is all about! I was definitely missing summer a little bit too today…
Lentil soup is so comforting. And adding bacon? Yes, please!
Is it odd that I think that soup is SO PRETTY?!
Couldn’t agree more. I am always frustrated when people talk about how pricey eating healthy is. I cook soup a ton (even in the heat), it’s the best way to stretch your dollar.
those simple lentils sound very comforting. the bread looks like toasty bliss… and you can’t go wrong with Chocolove <3
I love lentils! Warm curried lentils and goatscheese salad on the menu for tomorrow! What was wrong with your peach?!
Yum I love lentils! I’ll have to put this on my ‘to make’ list
I LOVE this cold, dreary weather. I’m kind of morbid? haha
Lentils have been on my crave-list practically all summer. I need to make a batch ASAP. Such an underrated legume!
No way, I love this moody weather. I hope it never leaves us!
Thanks for the soup recipe – sounds super easy and delicious. I never know what to do with lentils. (Guess I do now!)
Nothing better than curry and lentils on a cold rainy evening.
Love garam masala! It has such a subtle sweetness!
Must.buy.Liquid.Smoke. That is all.
Do you prefer to use chicken or veg broth with this recipe?
I actually prefer the taste of veggie