Vegetable Lentil Soup with Basil Sauce

Vegetable lentil soup with basil sauce is a quick and easy recipe that will warm you as a hearty meal with bright, vibrant flavors.

recipe originally published December 29, 2016

Vegetable Lentils Recipe

In the last few weeks, we have gloriously consumed three batches of vegetable lentil soup. These lentils. With this bright and flavorful basil sauce. We both love lentil soup - and this recipe is incredibly tasty and satisfying. It is also so very quick and easy! Really! A wonderful thing during the holiday season, or lets face it - just any week in this busy life.

Today I am celebrating my dear friend Tess Masters and her new book, The Perfect Blend, which is now available here in the states, and releasing just after the new year elsewhere. I already know this book is going to be a permanent fixture in my kitchen - it is packed with recipe goodness, important information, and brilliant photography. This book is a testament to joyful health and abundance that truly feeds the soul.

That Basil is the Bomb Sauce? Just go ahead and make a double batch the first time. You'll use it, I promise. You'll use it a lot.

Gentle Lentils with Basil is the Bomb Sauce recipes reprinted with permission from The Perfect Blend, copyright 2016 Tess Masters. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

Did you make these veggie lentils? 

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Yield: 8 servings

Veggie Lentils with Basil Sauce

Print

dairy, egg, soy and gluten free, vegan

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Basil Sauce

• ½ cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups (50g) loosely packed basil leaves
• ¼ cup (20g) finely chopped green onion (white and green parts)
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
• ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon natural salt, plus more to taste

optional sauce boosters

• 2 teaspoons capers, drained
• 1 teaspoon wheatgrass powder
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Veggie Lentil soup

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
• 1 cup (150g) diced yellow onion
• 1 cup (132g) diced celery
• 1 cup (160g) peeled and diced carrot
• 1 teaspoon natural salt, plus more to taste
• 2 cups (370g) dry green lentils
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 cups (2 l) vegetable broth
• fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup (240ml) Basil Sauce with optional boosters

optional lentil boosters

• 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
• dairy free sour cream
• 1 cup (40g) pea greens

Instructions

1. To make the basil sauce: Add all ingredients your blender jar, including any boosters, and blend on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and emulsified. Tweak the salt and pepper flakes to taste. This is best served immediately, but will keep, sealed and chilled, for about 5 days.
2. To make the lentils: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and sauté the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, and ½ teaspoon of the salt for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften slightly.
3. Stir in the lentils, thyme, pepper, and broth. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring the mixture to a lively simmer (not a full boil), and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils and vegetables are tender but not mushy. Add salt to taste.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and add about ¼ teaspoon lemon juice to each serving. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the Basil-Is-the-Bomb sauce over the top of each bowl and serve with a few avocado slices, a dollop of sour cream, and some pea sprouts. Pass the remaining Basil-Is-the-Bomb sauce and more lemon juice at the table.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 279Total Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 408mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 8gSugar: 6gProtein: 15g

nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.

about Kristina:

Kristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food!  Read more...

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