Name: Spiced Sweet Potato Lentil Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup rinsed brown or green lentils (soak overnight — optional for improved digestibility); 0.25 cup water (or 2 tbsp avocado or other neutral cooking oil); 1.25 cups diced red onion (about 1 small-medium onion); 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces (about 2 cups); 0.5 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste); 0.25 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon; 1.5 tsp coriander; 0.25 tsp ground turmeric; 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional); 5 cups vegetable broth (or store-bought); 1 tbsp coconut sugar (or sub maple syrup); 1 cup chopped green beans (fresh or frozen / or sub a sturdy green of choice, such as kale or collard greens); null null fresh cilantro; null null red pepper flakes; null null fresh minced garlic

Instructions

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1

Optional: If soaking lentils, rinse and add rinsed brown or green lentils (1 cup) to a mixing bowl and cover with 2 inches cool water. Soak for at least 6 hours or overnight. Then rinse, drain, and proceed with recipe. (See notes for soaking tips and ways to get around this if you're in a hurry!)
2

Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add water (0.25 cup) (or oil) and diced red onion (1.25 cups). Sauté for minutes (5), stirring frequently, until slightly browned. Add more water (or oil) as needed to brown.
3

Add garlic, minced (4 cloves) and sauté for minute (1) more. Then add sweet potato, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces (1 large), sea salt (0.5 tsp), black pepper (0.25 tsp), ground cumin (1 tbsp), ground cinnamon (1.5 tsp), coriander (1.5 tsp), ground turmeric (0.25 tsp), and cayenne pepper (1 pinch) (optional). Stir to coat and cook for minutes (4), stirring frequently.
4

Add vegetable broth (5 cups) (starting with the lesser amount) and bring to a low boil. Then add rinsed brown or green lentils (1 cup) and coconut sugar (1 tbsp) and another pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Once it comes back to a low boil, reduce heat to a simmer, loosely cover (crack the lid to let steam escape), and cook for ~minutes (20) or until lentils are tender (time will vary depending on type of lentil and whether or not they were soaked).
5

Once the rinsed brown or green lentils (1 cup) are tender, add chopped green beans (1 cup), stir, and cover. If it appears too thick at this time, add remaining vegetable broth (5 cups). Cook for another minutes (10), then turn off heat and let soup rest at least minutes (5) before serving.
6

Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more ground cumin (1 tbsp) for smokiness, ground cinnamon (1.5 tsp) for warmth, salt to taste, coconut sugar (1 tbsp) for sweetness, or black pepper (0.25 tsp) or cayenne pepper (1 pinch) for heat.
7

Serve as is, with grains, or over steamed [vegetables]. Optional: Top with [fresh cilantro], [red pepper flakes], and/or [fresh minced garlic].
8

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through. Add more [vegetable broth] or [water] to rehydrate as needed.