In the spirit of Meatless Monday, I pulled together a healthy, vegetarian (actually, this one will satisfy those who prefer vegan, too) soup for dinner. Truth be told, I needed something light after a weekend of hot gravy sandwiches – that would be a piece of bread, smeared with cranberry-maple sauce, loaded with turkey and stuffing and drenched in gravy. Oh yeah. You can see why I needed to get back to basics. A simple soup of lentils simmered with black beans, onions, garlic and flavored with smoked paprika is just what the diet doctor ordered. My jeans concur. All this talk about meatless meals leads me to the giveaway.
Last week I attended a book signing for Pam Anderson’s new book, Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals. You may remember that I am a big fan of Pam Anderson’s recipes and books – her Spicy Coconut Shrimp Stew is one of our favorites. Pam speaks to the home cook, developing recipes that can be made and enjoyed by novice and experienced cooks alike. She is a down-to-earth, kind soul who clearly loves what she does. She was accompanied by her daughter Maggy, who is a force of her own – she has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know and spunk to spare. Pam, Maggy and Sharon (Pam’s other daughter) together are Three Many Cooks.
There are plenty of books out there that are packed with vegetarian recipes. So, what makes Pam’s book different? One of the most appealing things to me is that the book provides formulas for whipping up healthy, meatless meals while providing latitude so that you can come up with your own flavor combinations depending on what ingredients you have on hand. If you’re not in the mood for being creative, that’s okay. There are plenty of suggestions for each type of meal and the categories run the gamut from oatmeal and breakfast pizzas to skillet stews and fast-food favorites (Italian, Asian and Mexican).
This Lentil & Black Bean Soup recipe doesn’t come from Pam’s book, but is certainly inspired by her philosophy of working more meatless meals in our repertoire.
Thanks to Pam, I have two books to give away. Scroll down to find out how to enter.
The recipe:
Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan set over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are beginning to soften, 6 to 7 minutes.
Add garlic, smoked paprika and bay leaves and saute for 30 seconds.
Stir in diced tomatoes with juices, lentils, 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth and 3 cups water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat slightly and cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, 25 to 35 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Transfer half of the lentil mixture, half of the black beans and 3/4 cup chicken broth to the bowl of a blender or food processor. Pulse until combined, but not pureed. It should be a chunky texture.
Pour the blender mixture back into the lentils in the saucepan, along with the remaining 1 cup of vegetable or chicken broth and remaining black beans. Stir and reheat over medium heat. Stir in parsley. Serve.
Other recipes with lentils:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage & Spinach
Indian Simmer’s Dal Makhani
ecurry’s Lentil Drops in Garlic Tomato Sauce
Namely Mary’s Curried Lentil Soup
Blue Kitchen’s Roasted Shrimp & Green Lentils
The giveaway:
For a chance to win a copy of Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals by Pam Anderson, just leave a comment on this post. There are two books up for grabs.
Read below for instructions on earning extra entries.
This giveaway is open to residents of the United States and Canada and will be open until Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 at 5pm PST.
The winner will be chosen using a random number generator and will be notified via email, so please make sure your email address is correct. You will have 48 hours to respond to me, or a new winner will be chosen.
To earn additional entries, leave separate comments for each of the steps listed below. If you don’t leave separate comments for each step, the number generator will not count them as separate entries. If you already follow/”like” Pam or Cookin’ Canuck, just let me know that in your comments.
1. Follow Pam Anderson on Twitter.
2. Follow Cookin’ Canuck on Twitter.
3. “Like” Three Many Cooks on Facebook.
4. “Like”Cookin’ Canuck on Facebook.
Good luck!
From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 2 large stalks celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup dried brown lentils
- 4 3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, divided
- 3 cups water
- 1 (14 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan set over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are beginning to soften, 6 to 7 minutes.
- Add garlic, smoked paprika and bay leaves and saute for 30 seconds.
- Stir in diced tomatoes with juices, lentils, 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth and 3 cups water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, 25 to 35 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Transfer half of the lentil mixture, half of the black beans and 3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth to the bowl of a blender or food processor. Pulse until combined, but not pureed. It should be a chunky texture.
- Pour the blender mixture back into the lentils in the saucepan, along with the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth and remaining black beans. Stir and reheat over medium heat. Stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
{ 212 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks wonderful, definitely on my “to make” list. Just one question – how many lentils are needed?? Thanks so much!
I’m sorry about that, Chelsey. I updated the recipe to read “1 cup dried lentils”. Thanks for the heads-up!
Made the soup yesterday and it was a huge hit! My boyfriend and I loved it. He’s Spanish so we always have smoked paprika in the cupboard.
By the way, I’m curious. Do you ever use celery root in your soups?? I’m a Canadian living over in Europe, where it’s a commom ingredient, but whenever I buy it in Canada people are always giving me funny looks and asking me what it is.
Probably because it looks like brains. . . .
The soup looks delicious and perfect for cold winter nights
I already follow you on twitter
Dthern
I have a can of black beans and a bag of lentils in my pantry right now. What a perfect way to use them!
This soup sounds so yummy! Can’t wait to try it
That soup looks like just the right thing for a chilly winter evening – yummy!
That soup sounds like the perfect answer to a cold autumn day.
I’d absolutely LOVE this book. I love Pam’s work and need that pizza on the cover. Dear GAWD.
How much Lentils? 1 1/2 cups?
I . Follow Pam Anderson on Twitter.
I Follow Cookin’ Canuck on Twitter.
I “Like” Pam Anderson on Facebook.
I. “Like”Cookin’ Canuck on Facebook.
Sorry for the omission, Fernie. It now reads “1 cup dried lentils”.
i’m always looking for more meatless meals – this soup sounds fantastic!
This book looks fantastic! I am always looking for solid vegetarian cookbooks.
That’s a beautiful hearty soup for chilly rainy days like this!
This looks like a perfect soup for this cooler weather. I have everything in my pantry so I think I’ll make it this week. I do have a question about the lentils though. They aren’t in the list of ingredients. How much?
Thanks for your comment, Yvonne. I hope you enjoy the soup. I updated the ingredients list to read “1 cup dried lentils”. Thanks for the heads-up!
The recipe looks excellent and I will definitely be making it soon on a rainy day that cries out for comfort food (like today!). I think the lentils may have been omitted from the recipe and I was wondering whether you use dried or canned lentils. Do you worry about the BPA lining of canned goods?
Thanks, Jean. I just updated the recipe to read “1 cup dried lentils”.
To answer your question about BPA. Yes, it is indeed a concern. Truth be told, I know that I will be far less likely to get beans into my diet if I rely only on dried beans. I need to be better about planning ahead to soak the beans. I have read that the most highly concentrated levels of BPA are found in canned pasta, soup and meats, though I’m sure they are still present in canned beans. I understand that Eden Foods uses a non-BPA lining for their canned beans, so I buy those when I see them. Let’s hope it’s an issue that gets dealt with soon!
Thanks so much for your quick and thoughtful replies. I really enjoy your blog and recipes!
I’m trying to get more fiber in my diet. This one looks good!
This looks so hearty and filling I can’t imagine you even miss the meat!
A vegetarian Cookbook is just what I need. My Meat Loving family doesn’t believe in a meal without meat in it, so a little help with adapting meatless meals into the rotation would be inspiring and life changing for us!!
Love all of your recipes! Amazing stuff!
I already follow Cookin Canuck on Fb!
After the “groan fest” of the holiday table a nice, healthy soup like this is more than welcome.
I already have the wonderful book, but have to say that I adore this photo, Dara. Gorgeous!
Looks great for the winter!
This soup looks awesome, and the book looks great!
Love this soup!
1. Follow Pam Anderson on Twitter.
2. Follow Cookin’ Canuck on Twitter.
“Like” Pam Anderson on Facebook.
“Like”Cookin’ Canuck on Facebook.
This is my new favorite. I love love love lentils. Thanks for making and sharing. Come visit us. We have a terrific pumpkin fried rice and this Friday we are having our second give away. Be sure to stop by and register for a chance to win a party dress from Shabby Apple.
I could eat soup every night of the week!
This will be on our dinner table tonight… would love to enhance my repertoire of meatless meals, with two growing boys anything that can stretch our budget dollars…The Pam Anderson book would be a great start!
Blessings
Christina
This soup looks fantastic! I love lentils.
Wow, does that look delicious!! What a great recipe.. and neat book!
This looks so, so good–I became a lentil addict after studying in Spain! My house madre made them all the time.
I follow Pam Anderson on Twitter.
And I follow Cookin’ Canuck on Twitter.
This looks delicious . . . adding it to my list of new recipes to try.
Already like Cookin’ Canuck on Facebook!
I like Cookin’ Canuck on FB.
I like you on facebook.
What a wonderful giveaway
This soup looks amazing and like just what I need after all that Thanksgiving food. I can’t wait to try this recipe, and the other lentil recipes you linked as well!
This sounds like something I need! I’ve just begun, at the late age of 66, an attempt to turn my food life around. Vegetarian/vegan eating is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long while, but I didn’t have either the courage or the support of family. Now I have the courage, but still no family support. I love your recipes, so if you think so highly of this book, I’m sure it would be of great help to me. Thanks for listening.
Linda, good for you! It is never too late to inject healthy lifestyle and food choices into your daily routine. Pam’s book is packed full of great ideas and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Definitely going to try this one. Finally found some ‘smoked’ paprika and this will be my first use for it. Sounds good and healthy to boot!
I have liked “Cookin’ Canuck” on FB…I don’t tweet, though.
Pam Anderson is “liked” on Facebook, but, once again, no tweeting.
Thanks for the giveaway… I love Pam’s books. I think I have all of her other ones. I agree about vegetarian cooking – fills you up, but not heavy.
I have been looking for a good soup to make soon and I think this may be the one!
This looks so good….what type of lentil did you use? Can I use red lentils (also called Masoor Daal)?
Asiya, I used brown lentils in this particular recipe, but love using Masoor Dal, too.
I follow Cookin Canuck on FB
My favorite soup is lentil, so this recipe is now on my list of “Things to make ASAP!”
Also follow Cookin Canuck on Twitter.
this book looks great!
We love meatless meals! Easier on the budget, too!
Following Pam Anderson on Twitter
Following Cooking’ Canuck on Twitter
I love meatless Mondays!
“Liked” Three Many Cooks on FB
“Liked” Cookin’ Canuck on FB
this soup looks great, so does that book
I like Three Many Cooks on FB!
I love Pam and I love her latest book! The soup looks amazing!
Absolutely perfect recipe for a day like today…..cloudy, chilly with snow in the forecast!! Thanks so much!!
I would just love a copy of this wonderful book.
I just bought some black beans because they were on sale. Now I have something to use them in…thanks so much !!
I love this. Mostly because I have (and usually always have) all these ingredients at this very moment. Can’t wait to try it!
I like Cookin’ Canuck on FB.
“Liked” Three Many Cooks on FB
Looks great! It’s 36 and windy here today . . soup weather for sure!
What a hearty vegetarian meal, and it has one of my favorite spices – smoked paprika!
I hear you about changing things up – love the soup and great giveway!
I can’t tell which I’d be more excited to get my hands on – a bowl of that soup or the cookbook!
I “like” Cookin Canuck on facebook!
Just discovered your blog today, recently discovered smoked paprika, and I LOVE anything made with black beans or lentils! Yum!!!!
“Like”Cookin’ Canuck on Facebook.
The book sounds amazing and right up my alley! I’m always looking for more meatless meal inspiration.
I follow you on Twitter.
And on Facebook.
i would love a bowl of this tonight!
Lentils. Black Beans. Smoked Paprika. What a combination!
I was so sad I had to miss the event with Pam. Sounds like it was a lot of fun. But I already bought the book, so you don’t have to put me in the giveaway.
Love this recipe. Will have to make it very soon with the weathers cooling down…:)!
I follow you on Twitter!!
I follow Pam and TMC on Twitter!
That looks awesome!
I like Cookin’ Canuck on facebook.
What a beautiful soup…love the combination
And I am pretty sure I follow you everywhere
What a great bowl of soup..sounds and look incredibly tasty!!! And I love tour photos too!!!
I follow you on twitter!
I follow Pam on twitter!!
These were the exact ingredients I had LAST night, but now that I’ve read this, I’m gonna go buy them again. Good for my upcoming soup swap as well. Thanks!
Yum! Tomorrows dinner
I like Cookin’ Canuck on Facebook. I also got a little bit overzealous with getting lentils from the bulk bin at Smith’s this week (about 2 lbs when I just needed a cup), so this soup looks perfect!
This cookbook looks great!!!!
That soup looks great!
This soup looks delicious!!! I can’t wait to try it!
I already follow Cookin’ Canuck on Twitter.
I now Follow Pam Anderson on Twitter.
ILiked on fb. And decided to make it for dinner tonighy
One of my fav veggie meals is a mix of barley, quinoa, lentils, white beans, rice, and diced carrots, celery and other aromatic/root veggies cooked in rich veggie broth! Very filling a tasty.
This sounds yummy! I’ve already printed it to try.
This recipe sounds delish!
And I love giveaways. I’m addicted to cookbooks. Good reading!
I shared this link on face book, too.
I liked Cookin’ Canuck, too.
I liked Pam Anderson, too.
Or was it Three Many Cooks!
This looks delicious. I’ve found that recently, vegetarian soups seem to appeal most to me, especially ones that include any sort of beans. Yum.
This looks good. I was just looking for a lentil soup recipe.
This soup sounds wonderful, love the smoked paprika!
I just liked Three Many Cooks on FB! Thanks for the giveaway.
I just added Cookin Canuck to my friends on FB! Thanks again.
This soup sounds so good and is making me hungry! I’m a vegetarian and I’m always looking fr good veggie recipes!
I like you on FB
Just liked TMC on FB
I have been seeing this recipe all over Pinterest today, and couldn’t wait to come and check it out! It sounds so good. I’m definitely putting it on my list! (And you don’t need to enter my name for the giveaway, I already have a copy
but I just had to comment because this looks so good!)
I like Three Many Cooks on FB.
I Like Cookin’ Canuck on Facebook.
I “like” Three Many Cooks on Facebook.
“liked” Cookin’ Canuck on facebook
We love lentil soups. Our favorite is Creamy Kale Lentil. Looks like I have all the ingredients on hand, it will be extra tasty with my garden canned tomatoes. I just recently bought some smoked paprika at the bulk store. Looking forward to making this this week. thank you.
These soups look yummy. Great for cold winter days.
I love her books too! I already follow you on Twitter.
And I’m already a fan on Facebook!
I like Cookin’ Canuck on facebook.
I “like”-d the Cookin’ Canuck FB page.
I love lentils. They are quick cooking and delicious and does smoked paprika have the best smokey flavor or what? I can’t wait to try this recipe.
I “like”-d Three Many Cooks FB page.
I have been wanting to try my hand at soup with lentils – this recipe sounds delicious!
Ohhh! I have everything in house to make this on a rainy windy morning! Thanks for the great sounding and looking recipe! You solved the dinner today question!
Definitely would be interesting in cooking more meatless meals.
Ugh interested* not interesting. Also, I’m now following Cookin’ Canuck on Twitter.
Love your blog and use your recipes regularly to feed my family! Thanks so much for all the great content.
I follow Cookin’ Canuck on Twitter under the name @sallyTV.
I follow Pam Anderson on Twitter under the name @sallyTV.
I always start craving hearty, chunky soups once fall rolls around, and this one looks like it would be a perfect addition to my repertoire, especially with the lentils and beans for added protein, and the smoked paprika for spice… such a great antidote to the cold, wet weather we’ve been having!
PS – I already follow you on Twitter.
PPS – I just followed Pam on Twitter as well!
Love your blog and the soup looks delicious!
that recipe looks delicious! I would love a book!
I’m obsessed with soups this time of year. I’ll have to try this one! That cookbook looks awesome. I’m definitely in a food rut and could use some good meatless inspiration
Oh, this sounds like dinner! To avoid the BPA issue, I now cook my beans in the slowcooker for 3 hours on high–no soaking required (Smitten Kitchen). I ‘liked’ you on Facebook, but they have my old email and canoemail is no longer operational.
I have been looking for a Lentil soup that appealed to both me and my husband. This sounds like just the one.
Thanks Pam!
This looks amazing! I am such a fan of black bean soup. It is so delicious
One of the only things on my Christmas list this year is cookbooks – this would make a great Christmas gift!
I like you on Facebook!
I simply must make this soup today. I’m really really tired, but this post is calling my name.
What a great giveaway, and the perfect way to welcome in the holiday season. You can never have enough cookbooks!
I like Three Many Cooks on Facebook
I like Cookin’ Canuck on Facebook
I am a fan of meatless meals, this cookbook intrigues me. This soup sounds fabulous too. I love smoked paprika!
You may not know but I have this thing for soups. This one right here looks amazing, Dara! Hearty and meatless and perfect for those really cold nights when a bowl of soup is really all you want to eat. Beautiful pics too!
Btw, love knowing this is a Pam Anderson recipe. Another winner.
A great giveaway and a lovely soup recipe. Thank you for tempting me with this post. I’m hungry now and want to make this for dinner! I hope you have a lovely end to your week. I can’t believe it is already Thursday! Hugs and love from Austin.
This sounds like an amazing book. Cannot wait to try your recipe.
Looks delicious! I’m interersted in cooking more meatless meals for my family.
This recipe sounds great, can’t wait to try it. I began a vegetarian diet two weeks ago, inspired by “Forks Over Knives”.
Yup. I too had one of those over indulging turkey stuffing gravy sandwich weekends. Thank goodness they are only once a year! My system needed a reboot. Could have used a soup like this (and that, as my wife will tell you, is quite a statement from someone who has only recently started liking beans)
Woo hoo! A yummy vegetarian recipe. Can’t wait to make this. Thanks.
Soups are great for cooking by intuition… it is hard to muck them up.
I hate winter for the cold, lack of photo lighting and well… the cold BUT I love it for all of the warm recipes that can be whipped up, especially soups! This is fantastic.
Hello! I stumbled upon your blog and love it! I must give this soup a go, so yummy
My coworker smells like rotten celery. I’ll have to swap that celery out for something ~ I can’t stand the smell of celery anymore!!!
Found your site through Kalyn’s Kitchen. That soup looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
Found your recipe through Kalyn’s Kitchen too. Could you make this in a slower cooker?. I am going to try this for sure.
That soup looks fab an I’d love the book to give to my daughter-in-law for Christmas!
Love Lentils and love soup. Time to cook!
You just combined two of favs-black bean and lentils. This makes it a must make soup-stat!
So comforting and creamy..would love to sit with a bowl of hot lentil soup and enjoy winter!
I am always looking for new recipes that use black beans…this one sounds wonderful! Just the thing to take the chill off on the soon- to- come snowy weekends!
This looks great. I’m always looking for lentil soup recipes.
Looks divine!
This looks like a wonderful recipe. I have the smoked paprika and not many recipes for it. Thanks for your generousity.
This soup looks super yummy! Can’t wait to try the recipe!!
I’ve been vegetarian for 2 years and my boyfriend vegan for 12… we’re running out of new ideas so this book would be perfect. The black bean soup looks so healthy and I’ve always been curious about paprika paired with it too!
Always looking for creative lentil recipes, thanks for a great one!
This was good timing as I have decided to try and go a little healthier. Not meatless but more veggies and fibre and less empty carbs. This filled the bill perfectly. As is, it was little bland for my taste (I tend to season fairly heavily) but it was easy to kick up the seasoning a little. I really enjoyed this.
This sounds like a great winter dish. I’d love to win the cookbook and get more of Pam’s recipes.
Just found this site this morning and am already enticed. can’t wait to try the bean soup and next click will be to check out the cookin canuck site:) Thank you!!!
This soup was so good! I loved everything about it! I didnt have fresh parsley, but happened to have cilantro, so I added a tiny bit of it. It was delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!!!
This sounds delicious. Thanks for the vegan recipe idea!
I love healthy recipes like this! I almost always have these ingredients on hand and it is easy on my budget.
LOVE it Dara. I also have this book and it does provide amazing inspiration for those meatless meals. Lovely soup
I just put this on my wish list on Amazon! It looks so yummy!
That is one hearty and tasty looking soup!
Love your blog, Dara! What did you use for a garnish on the lentil-black bean soup, besides the parsley? Is that a slice of cheese or French bread floating on the top of the soup?
Thanks so much, Arden. That is actually just a little dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top.
Wow, that soup looks incredible. I always make my lentil soup the same way, and it’s getting old. I need to try this!! And I need to get my hands on that book. It’s so nice to find meatless cookbooks to keep those meat free meals interesting.
I just stumbled upon your site, and found this recipe. Made it last night and it is so good. It tastes and smells like something that been cooking all day but really just takes as long it takes to chop things and cook the lentils through. I’m looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch today! Thank you!
We’d love a chance to win–thanks for the opportunity!
I made this several nights ago and absolutely loved it. I usually eat mostly meatless meals but ended up adding some andouille sausage to this. It was so delicious and just what I was looking for. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I’m loving this soup! I made this last weekend, and am working on the leftovers. My hubby is allergic to lentils, so…more for me!
I am making this soup now and it smells delicious! Thanks for posting a vegan recipe.
I made this the other day and it was sooo good!!! Mmm!! Since it was so thick I poured it over rice. It made it even better! I will have to make it again! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for sharing so many great recipes! Aloha!
Wow, that looks really good! I am supposed to be eating healthier and with less meat. It is hard when you are used to what you grew up with. That looks like a step in the right direction. I am definitely printing this to try! Thanks for sharing
).
Do not put hot soup in the blender. You know how you can hold a tight jar under hot water and it loosens the seal? Well, hot soup does the same thing to the bottom seal on a blender! I learned this the hard way while making this soup for dinner!
The soup was tasty, but not worth that mess. If I make it again, I’ll be experimenting with different techniques.
Hi Elizabeth, I’m sorry you had such a mess on your hands. Believe me, I’ve had the same kind of experience (the steam blowing the top off of the blender). That I why I suggested letting the soup cool for 10 minutes before putting it in the blender. You might want to consider increasing the cooling time the next time you make a blender soup just to make sure you don’t have any more problems.
This sounds soooo good! The cookbook would be awesome too!
I follow Cookin’ Canuck on facebook
I follow Three Many Cooks on facebook
I don’t have Twitter but already follow you on FB and now “Three Many Cooks”. I also follow you both on Pinterest.:-). I found you when I googled thumbprint cookies a year or so ago and follow you ever since.:-). I followed you before you started thinking of marathon and I’m so proud of you. I need you to come over here to motivate me.:-)
Sounds tasty
love the improv
I like you on Facebook as well!
Think this would work in a crockpot? If so do you think you could just throw it all in & let it go or would you still need to saute the veggies?
I saw this recipe on pinterest and had to repin. I am in love with black beans and considering switching to a vegetarian diet. With recipes like this one, the switch may be closer than anticipated. Thanks for the creation, I can’t wait to try it.
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