Hearty Lentil & Black Bean Soup with Smoked Paprika Recipe

Nov 29, 2011 by Dara 238 Comments

This hearty vegan lentil and black bean soup recipe is the perfect comfort food for chilly days. Only 223 calories per generous serving! 223 calories and 2 Weight Watcher Freestyle SP

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 this cookbook.

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 inspired by her philosophy of working more meatless meals in our repertoire.

The lentil black bean soup 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:

Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes {Cookin’ Canuck}
Dal Makhani {Indian Simmer}
Lentil Drops in Garlic Tomato Sauce {eCurry}
Curried Lentil Soup {Namely Mary}
Roasted Shrimp & Green Lentils {Blue Kitchen}

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I’ll be sure to find it.

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