Red Lentil, Chicken, and Vegetable Soup with Warming Spices
An ideal postpartum meal,
suitable for the whole family.
This soup is comforting, nutritious, warming, easy to prepare, and you can freeze it.
Once you’ve sauteed the onions and spices you just need to add all the other ingredients and let it simmer.
This soup is a great source of protein, fibre, iron, vitamin A, and antioxidants which are all crucial nutrients in postpartum.
Why I love it
Red lentils are a good source of fibre, protein, and iron.
Soaking your lentils overnight and rinsing before cooking will reduce the levels of phytic acid, which allows for better absorption of minerals like iron and zinc. And it makes them easier to digest.
Chicken and poultry are a good source of B vitamins, protein, and zinc.
Vegetables are all sources of fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants, with orange and red vegetables like carrots being good sources of vitamin A and C, and green vegetables being good sources of B vitamins.
Spices create that comforting, warm feeling we need in postpartum, as well as being great sources of antioxidants.
Substitutions
You can leave the chicken out and use vegetable stock to make this soup vegan
You can use any vegetables you have in place of the carrot and zucchini
You can use any green leafy vegetable you have, and frozen vegetables are fine
If you're breastfeeding and your baby doesn't like when you eat onion, you can leave it out
Red lentil, chicken, and vegetable soup
with warming spices
Makes: 3 litres or 6 serves
Time: 10 minutes of chopping plus 25 minutes of simmering
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried coriander
2 tsp turmeric powder
A grind of black pepper
½ tsp red chilli flakes - these won’t make it spicy, they just add warmth
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium zucchinis, chopped
4 chicken thighs - each cut into 2 or 3 pieces (you’ll shred them later)
1 cup red lentils, soaked in water overnight, rinsed and drained
A big handful of chopped kale or spinach leaves, or around 8 cubes frozen kale or spinach
1.5L chicken or vegetable stock
Method
In a large saucepan over low heat, add your olive oil and onions and fry until softened. Then add the spices and gently fry while stirring for a further 1-2 minutes.
Next add your chicken, lentils, vegetables, and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken and lentils are cooked through.
Turn off the heat, remove the chicken thighs to a board and chop or shred with forks. Return the chicken to the pot, stir it through, and you’re ready to serve.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat to at least 60°C to serve.
Nutrition
Each serve of this soup contains 27g of protein, 7g of fibre, 5mg of iron, 4425IU of vitamin A, and 23mg of vitamin C.
I hope you love this soup as much as I do.