Here’s what you need when you’re craving a nice hot, nutritious, and flavorful dish: the red lentil puree meets all these requirements! It’s ideal for those following a vegan diet and is rich in plant proteins. Moreover, it’s a perfect choice if you want to detox your body, perhaps after a period of festivities and revelry.
This red lentil puree cooks quickly precisely because red lentils are hulled. So not only do you not need to soak them like all lentils, but they are also cooked in no time: in less than half an hour, you’ll be serving a steaming, fragrant, nutritious, and colorful soup.
At home, it was also appreciated by the Dutchman, my official culinary critic! I thought that having quite a delicate taste, he wouldn’t like it too much, but instead, he said it’s really good. And considering that it’s only 4 Weight Watchers Propoints per serving, well, make it because it’s really worth it!
You can find other recipes with red lentils here:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove, Boiling
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 7 oz hulled red lentils
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (1 measuring teaspoon)
- 28 oz peeled tomatoes (or in chunks)
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks celery (including leaves)
- 1 2 cups l vegetable broth
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 tsp ground cumin (optional)
- to taste chili pepper (optional)
- to taste salt
- Points per serving = 4 WW points
Tools
- Pot
- Strainer
- Hand Blender
Steps
In a large pot, sauté the chopped onion and celery with 1 teaspoon of oil. Cook gently for 5 minutes: if it dries out too much, add a tablespoon of vegetable broth. Then add the chopped garlic and some chili pepper and cumin to taste and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the well-rinsed and drained red lentils, the broth, rosemary sprigs, and peeled tomatoes. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat and let it cook for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
Remove the rosemary sprigs and puree everything with a hand blender until smooth. Adjust the salt to your taste and serve hot.
Here’s our vegan red lentil puree ready to serve. Serve it as is or with bread croutons and if you wish, another half teaspoon of raw oil directly on the plate: in that case, remember to count the extra WW points!
In fact, it’s even better the next day, indeed two portions were left and the taste was even better once reheated. But with soups, it’s often like this, it’s no surprise: the various flavors blend better after some resting time. I hope you’ll enjoy this soup, leave me a comment to let me know if you liked it…
Enjoy!
by Giovanna Buono
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I prepare it in advance?
Of course you can, and it keeps in the fridge in a container for up to 4 days. Then just reheat it well.
Can it be frozen?
YES! You can put it in the freezer in a suitable container. Then let it thaw at least partially and reheat it.
Which vegetable broth can I use?
If you’re not making the vegetable broth from scratch with vegetables, you can use a bouillon cube (make sure it’s vegan) or even use an organic vegan granular broth that you should find in organic stores. Follow the instructions on the package to prepare 1 and a half liters of broth, I only need 4 teaspoons. I left a link in the ingredients to a granular similar to what I use.
