Lentils Soup with Ground Meat and Veggies
Serve: 6
Time Preparing: 20 minutes
Time Cooking: 80-90 minutes
Total Time: 80-90 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown lentils, sorted for debris
- 1-pound grass fed ground beef
- 2 cups bone broth (recipe here)
- 4-5 tablespoons of ghee or fat of choice
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 8-10 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 carrots, diced
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- Fresh cilantro, thinly chopped
- Fresh scallions, chopped
- Sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- Apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice or kefir - enough to soak the lentils
- Filtered water to cook the lentils
Preparation
Step 1 (soaking lentils 24-hours)
In a bowl, place the lentils
Rinse well under running water, drain
Add water in the bowl until lentils are fully covered
Add 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice or kefir
Soak lentils for 24-hours, rinsing and refreshing the water 2-3 times during the soaking period
After soaking period, drain remaining water in the lentils, and immediately rinse them under running water, drain well
Step 2 (cooking the lentils)
Place the 24-hours soaked and rinsed lentils into a large pot
Add filtered water to cover the lentils by about 1-inch
Place the pot over medium heat, bring to a boil
When boiling, use a spoon to carefully remove the foam that rises on the top of lentils
Then, simmer lentils until soft, 20-30 minutes
Don’t overcook in order to lentils not be mushy
Taste to confirm that lentils are cooked, and when cooked remove from heat, reserve
Step 3 (ground meat and veggies)
Meanwhile the lentils are cooking
Place a large pot over medium heat, add ghee or fat of choice
Allow the fat to warm, add chopped onions, stir well, sauté 2-3 minutes
Add minced garlic, stir well, sauté 2-3 minutes
Add ground meat, stir well, sauté until meat is browned, 6-8 minutes
Add, chopped tomato, stir well, sauté 2-3 minutes
Add diced carrots, celery, stir well, reserve
Step 4 (preparing the soup)
Combining Step 2 and Step 3
Add to the ground meat and veggies (Step 3), 4 cups of the cooked lentils (reserve the remain for another dish)
Add bone broth, salt to taste and cayenne, stir well to combine
Partially cover pot with the lid, simmer, stirring occasionally, 15-20 minutes
Add chopped fresh scallions and cilantro, stir well to combine
Carefully transfer the soup to a soup tureen
Garnish with chopped cilantro and scallions
Serve