By: Dr. Melanie DeCunha, Naturopathic Doctor

The leaves have fallen. The winter tires are on. The Christmas decorations have been brought out from storage. All that’s needed now is a hot, simmering pot of soup to fill the air with comforting aromas and our bellies with some immune-boosting goodness! This lentil veggie soup is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan!

Will a vegetarian soup actually fill me?

Lentils are a highly nutritious legume, packed with protein, fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and potassium. Combined with the nutrient-dense veggies I’ve added to the soup, you’re going to get a mega dose of your daily vitamins and minerals. You won’t be able to tell once you puree everything together, but you’ll be getting all the colours of the rainbow with this recipe!

As we know, this time of year is when you are most vulnerable to getting sick and most people’s immune systems are fairly low. Incorporating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables is a super easy way to strengthen your defences to fend off possible pathogens.

Customize to your liking!

Now I’ll admit – this is actually the first time I made a pureed soup, and I left the flavours pretty mild since I was making such a large batch. I plan to freeze half and portion out the rest for last-minute meals. By leaving the spices fairly mild, I have the opportunity to add additional spices to each bowl depending on what I’m feeling.

My favourite way to eat the soup so far is to add about ½ C of water and a bit of coconut milk to 1C of soup to thin it out. And then garnish with some crushed chili peppers, Everything but the Bagel seasoning (from Wholefoods) and extra turmeric, salt and pepper. I also add 2TBSP of collagen for the added protein and gut health benefits.

If you’re looking for additional immune-boosting effects, try adding some cinnamon and ginger.

I will say that the soup is pretty thick, so adding either water or coconut milk for creaminess will thin it down a bit.

The great thing about this recipe is that it comes together fairly quick. You can have the entire soup done in less than an hour, and have the option to let it simmer after that if you choose. This step is totally optional, but I prefer to do it because I love the smell of my home with a simmering pot of soup, and I like to give the ingredients longer to combine. But really, it’s because it allows me to defer washing the dishes for a few hours.

So give this lentil veggie soup a whirl and let me know what you think!

Ingredients

• 1C green lentils
• 1C red lentils
• 1C yellow split peas
• 6C chicken broth
• 4C broccoli
• 3 large carrots
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2t chili powder
• 2t cumin
• 1t onion salt
• 1t turmeric
• 1t paprika
• ½t garlic salt

Directions:

• Boil lentils, peas, broccoli, carrots, sweet potato and chickpeas in chicken broth in a large pot.
• Once veggies and lentils become soft, puree in batches in food processor.
• Transfer puree to a large crock pot (if you don’t have a crock pot, a large pot on the stove over low heat will suffice).
• Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 1-3 hours to allow spices to blend.

Nutrition:

• Yields approximately 12 servings
• Calories: 218 per serving
• Carbohydrates: 35.4g
• Fat: 3.9g
• Protein: 11.8g