Lentil Minestrone Soup

This soup starts with plenty of vegetables - carrots, celery, sweet potato, zucchini and tomatoes and hearty lentils simmered to make a rich and tasty meal for a hungry family.
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Soup
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
  • 1 yellow onion peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 3 carrots scrubbed and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 celery stalk diced into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 sweet potato scrubbed and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 zucchini diced into 1/4-inch pieces or 1 cup of frozen zucchini
  • 2 cups canned diced tomatoes, low-sodium (including liquid or fresh tomatoes)
  • 1/2 cup lentils brown or red (dry measure)
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 cube low-sodium chicken bouillon
  • 4 cups kale washed and chopped into 1/4-1/2-inch pieces

Instructions
 

  • Put a soup pot on the stove over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil. Add onion and garlic and cook about 7 minutes until golden.
  • Add carrots, celery, sweet potato, and zucchini and cook about 10 minutes until slightly tender.
  • Add tomatoes, lentils, water, and chicken bouillon cube and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook 40 minutes.
  • Add the kale and cook an additional 20 minutes. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Notes

Nutrition Facts: Serves 6. Each serving: 167 calories, 4g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 82mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate, 8g fiber, 3g sugars, 8g protein.  
Source: USDA Nutrition Policy and Promotion