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  Cooking at Home - Lentil Minestrone Soup
© iStock - Rawpixel
Makes: 6 Servings
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
This soup starts with plenty of vegetables - carrots, celery, sweet potato, zucchini, and tomatoes and hearty lentils simmered to make a rich and tasty meal for a hungry family.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
 - 1 yellow onion (peeled and chopped)
 - 2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
 - 3 carrots (scrubbed and diced into 1/4-inch pieces)
 - 1 celery stalk (diced into 1/4-inch pieces)
 - 1 sweet potato (scrubbed and diced into 1/4-inch pieces)
 - 1 zucchini (diced into 1/4-inch pieces or 1 cup of frozen zucchini)
 - 2 cups canned low-sodium, diced tomatoes (including liquid or fresh tomatoes)
 - 1/2 cup lentils (brown or red)
 - 8 cups water
 - 1 cube low-sodium chicken bouillon
 - 4 cups kale (washed and chopped into 1/4-1/2-inch pieces)
 
Directions
- Put a soup pot on the stove over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil. Add onion and garlic and cook about 7 minutes until golden.
 - Add carrots, celery, sweet potato, and zucchini and cook about 10 minutes until slightly tender.
 - Add tomatoes, lentils, water, and chicken bouillon cube and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook 40 minutes.
 - Add the kale and cook an additional 20 minutes. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
 
Source: USDA Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 2 cup
Nutrients  | Amount  | 
|---|---|
Total Calories  | 167  | 
Total Fat  | 3 g  | 
Saturated Fat  | 0 g  | 
Cholesterol  | 0 mg  | 
Sodium  | 82 mg  | 
Carbohydrates  | 29 g  | 
Dietary Fiber  | 8 g  | 
Total Sugars  | 3 g  | 
Added Sugars included  | 0 g  | 
Protein  | 8 g  | 
Vitamin D  | 0 mcg  | 
Calcium  | 144 mg  | 
Iron  | 4 mg  | 
Potassium  | 896 mg  |