Beef Broth Lentil Soup

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On cold days, the time comes for warming foods, hearty and rich, such as legume soups. We have already prepared pea and bean soup, and today I propose to cook lentil soup for lunch. At the same time, we’ll get to know better this interesting and useful cereal - we’ll find out why lentils are called “the queen of all legumes”? Thick, aromatic lentil soup resembles pea, but has a special taste. Some tasters catch a nutty note in it. A small amount of fragrant thyme (thyme) will give the soup even more interesting taste. This herb goes well with lentils, and together it gives an even more harmonious taste than with bay leaves traditional for soups.

There are many varieties of lentil soups: vegetarian and meat; with sausages in Italian and with bacon in English; with the addition of pumpkin or celery root; tomato or spinach; as well as all kinds of vegetables - cauliflower, broccoli, sweet pepper ... I suggest you cook lentil soup with beef.

However, lentil soup will be hearty and without meat, since lentils are very nutritious in composition. It contains a large amount of vegetable proteins and carbohydrates, but almost no fat. That is why lentils are considered dietary cereals, a portion of which is equivalent to the same portion of meat, but moreover, it is absorbed by the body much more easily. It’s easy to get enough of the dishes from the “Queen Lentil”, and there is enough energy for a long time.

Want to know more about the beneficial properties of this valuable cereal? Oh, they can be listed for a long time! These include a high content of folic acid (vitamin B9, especially important for women who are expecting a baby, and for growing organisms - children and adolescents). Lentils improve digestion due to the large amount of fiber; strengthens the immune system and nerves, reduces blood sugar and cholesterol. This amazing cereal is useful for everyone - and children from 2 years old, and women, and men.

You may have seen groats of different colors: green, orange-red, brown.

Green lentils are not completely ripe cereals. Therefore, it does not boil and cooks a little longer than other types - about 40 minutes. The seeds remain intact and look good in salads.

Red lentils - cereals, peeled from the shell, it is cooked quickly - only 15-20 minutes, and is well boiled, so it is great for mashed soups.

Brown lentils are also called continental. This variety is prepared in about 20-25 minutes.

Time for preparing: 1 hour
Servings Per Container: 6

Ingredients for Lentil Soup on Beef Broth

For 2.5 liters of water we will need:

200-300 g of meat;
1 cup lentils;
2-3 medium potatoes;
1 carrot;
1 onion;
1-2 tablespoons of sunflower oil;
1 tablespoon of salt without top (or to taste, try);
a pinch of dried thyme;
a bunch of fresh herbs (dill, parsley).

A method of preparing lentil soup in beef broth

If you decide to cook soup with meat, then the first thing you need to boil beef, as the meat takes much longer to cook than cereals and vegetables. After rinsing the meat, cut into small cubes, lower it into water and put on fire. Bringing to a boil and boiling for 1-2 minutes, drain the first water. We recruit a new one, on which we will cook the broth, and cook on low heat under the lid for 40 minutes.

While the meat is cooked, prepare other ingredients. Wash the lentils 2-3 times and fill them with clean cold water: after eating it, the groats, like peas or beans, will boil faster.

Peel potatoes, carrots and onions. We chop the onion, and grate the carrots on a coarse grater or cut into strips. Using a vegetable cutter, I sliced carrots into long cubes: they look more original in soup than grated carrots or circles.

We heat vegetable oil in a pan and pour finely chopped onions. Stirring, pass 2-3 minutes until soft.

Then add the carrot sticks and fry for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the frying, for now leave it.

When the meat is soft, it's time to pour the cereal into the soup. Lentils, meanwhile, have absorbed almost all of the water. Put it in a pan, mix and cook for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, the cereal is cooked, cut the potatoes into small cubes.

Pour potatoes into the soup, stir.

After another 5 minutes, add carrot-onion frying to the pan. Let it all simmer slightly for 2-3 minutes, but for now you can wash and finely chop the greens.

Add parsley and dill to the soup, dried thyme or a couple of sprigs of fresh, salt, mix. After 1-2 minutes, the soup is ready.