Lentil and Brown Rice Soup

5 from 1 vote

sandravalvassori.com

This hearty Lentil and Brown Rice soup is a comforting vegetarian dish that is highly nutritious and super satisfying. Made with simple, pantry-friendly ingredients, it is a comforting and warming soup you will love any time of year! Bonus if you have leftovers which make the best lunches.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Servings: to 8

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, diced (see note #1)
2 large carrots, peeled and diced (see note #1)
2 celery stalks, diced (see note #1)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced (see note #1)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons mild Harissa paste/sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 sprigs fresh thyme, preferably tied in a bundle
2 bay leaves
1 14 ounce can crushed (or whole) tomatoes
1 cup French green lentils, picked over and rinsed (see note #2)
3/4 cup uncooked brown rice, rinsed and drained (see note #3)
12 cups chicken or vegetable broth liquid (see note #4)
1 Tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar, or lemon juice
2 big handfuls baby spinach, or kale, or chard (ribs removed), coarsely chopped in large pieces
1/2 - 1 cup grated parmesan (optional, for serving)

Instructions

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Sauté about 5 - 7 minutes longer. If the vegetables are browning, reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Note: If you chopped the veggies in a food processor, simply sauté them all at once until softened, instead.
Stir in the tomato paste, harissa (if using), and cumin. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the tomato paste has darkened in color.
Add the bundle of thyme sprigs, bay leaves, chopped tomatoes, lentils and rice. Give everything a stir, then pour in the broth and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, stirring to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until lentils and rice are tender, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs and discard. Stir in the vinegar or lemon juice. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.
Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt and pepper, if needed. Ladle hot soup into bowls, drizzled with olive oil and topped with parmesan cheese to taste.

Notes

Note #1: There is a bit of chopping involved but once that is out of the way, the rest comes together easily and quickly. To speed things up, you can give the veggies (including the garlic) a rough chop, then pulse a few times in a food processor until finely chopped.

Note #2: I prefer to use French green lentils which take the same amount of time to cook as brown rice. If you use brown lentils, or regular green lentils, add the rice first, cook for about 10 minutes, then add the lentils. If you use red lentils, use Jasmine rice, or add cooked brown rice to the finished soup. Dried lentils might have tiny pebbles or debris. Here is what I do to clean them; spread lentils on a shallow tray and pick out any tiny rocks or dirt. Then rinse the lentils in a fine-mesh sieve under cold running water.

Note #3: If you prefer, you can use cooked brown rice and add it to the finished soup. Alternatively, pass the cooked rice around the table and everyone can add it to their soup as they wish.

Note #4: This soup requires a whopping 12 cups of liquid. Boxed broth is great here but a good quality brand can be quite expensive. I am a huge fan of low-sodium Better Than Bouillon which is a super concentrated base that you mix with water. You can use the chicken base or the veggie base which are both made with a ton of veggies and add a lot of delicious flavor to soups, chilis, stir-fries and stews. For this recipe, you will add 12 cups of water to the pot plus 3 1/2 tablespoons of the Better Than Bouillon base. The open jar also lasts forever in your fridge so you won't have to stress about using it up quickly. If you can't find it, use 8 cups broth of your choice, plus 4 cups water OR 12 cups of all broth.

To freeze and reheat: Allow the soup to cool, transfer to freezer safe storage container(s) and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, defrost in the fridge overnight, or thaw for a few hours on the counter. Place in a pot over medium heat until completely warmed through. The rice and lentils will have absorbed a lot of the liquid so you may need to add more stock or water.

A note on salt – I only use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt for all my cooking and baking. Other brands, or table salt, might be saltier so err on the side of caution and use a little less.