I am becoming increasingly aware of how much salt there is in store bought soup. Even when you look at soups that have “25% less sodium…” it’s crazy how much is still in there!
We have enjoyed the Campbell’s Gardennay Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup, but still you’re looking at 20% of your recommended sodium intake in one serving. Then I think about my little boy who surely needs significantly less salt than an adult, and I feel bad for feeding it to him (though he loves it).
So this week I decided to try making home made lentil soup.
Nothing in this recipe seems hard in anyway. But wouldn’t you know I managed to burn my onions while I was distracted rinsing and sorting my lentil. Thinking that it wasn’t so bad, I proceeded to add the broth and throw in my washed lentils, hoping to salvage what I was doing. No luck! I just managed to ruin perfectly good broth and lentils and stink up the whole house with the smell of burnt.
So off to the grocery store I went to find something quick for dinner: another soup. Near the deli section I found jarred soups that were low in sodium… and ridiculously overpriced. But I’m a sucker and bought a jar anyway.
Last night I decided to try again. I carefully prepared all my ingredients in advance: chopped the onions and carrots, measured out the spices, washed and sorted the lentils. I was not going to repeat Monday’s fiasco!
Confession: I altered the soup’s garnish. (It’s getting harder and harder to stick to recipes. I think because I am getting braver about my cooking/baking. Also, it’s ridiculously cold in Ontario right now and I am not going outside without a really good reason!) I am not much of a fan of cilantro and forgot about the olive oil and pinch of chilli power (until just now). Instead, I added the lemon juice as suggested and then we added a dollop of yoghurt to our bowls. Also, I blended the whole soup until smooth instead of leaving lumps as suggested.
How did it turn out, you ask?
The soup didn’t seem to have a ton of flavour. Though after each bite you’d get hit with some heat.
It had a consistency that seemed almost fluffy… if that makes any sense.
It was really good with the yoghurt. That was a good addition that I think I’ll continue to use with soups like this.
Everyone ate it and my husband said I could make it again. However, I think I’ll try a couple other recipes before settling on one. If you have lentil soup recipe (or any soup recipe, really) that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you!
Close Encounters (of the Food Kind) 