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Numerous people in a large kitchen performing various cooking duties.

Cooking at Home - Lentil Minestrone Soup

© iStock - Rawpixel

Makes: 6 Servings

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

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.

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 low-sodium, diced tomatoes (including liquid or fresh tomatoes)
  • 1/2 cup lentils (brown or red)
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 cube low-sodium chicken bouillon
  • 4 cups kale (washed and chopped into 1/4-1/2-inch pieces)

Directions

  1. 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.
  2. Add carrots, celery, sweet potato, and zucchini and cook about 10 minutes until slightly tender.
  3. 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.
  4. Add the kale and cook an additional 20 minutes. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. 

Source: USDA Nutrition Policy and Promotion

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 2 cup

Nutrients

Amount

Total Calories

167

Total Fat

3 g

Saturated Fat

0 g

Cholesterol

0 mg

Sodium

82 mg

Carbohydrates

29 g

Dietary Fiber

8 g

Total Sugars

3 g

Added Sugars included

0 g

Protein

8 g

Vitamin D

0 mcg

Calcium

144 mg

Iron

4 mg

Potassium

896 mg