Rustic Lentil and Potato Soup

I'm tempted to dazzle you with a ton of super cool lentil facts but I'll refrain 😉 Let's keep it short and sweet: lentils ROCK. They're easy to cook, packed with nutrients and protein, satisfying, and budget-friendly (yay!) This recipe is adapted from one of my favorites: Lentil Spinach Soup. Any form of lentil soup is a win in my book, but this one feels extra hearty and wonderfully rustic with chunks of potato, carrot, and mushroom. It reminds me of a veganized version of classic beef stew! And a nice bonus: the leftovers are absolutely delicious. The broth becomes even richer and more flavorful the next day. (Which is great news because I'm a soup-for-breakfast kind of girl.) As always, soup is beautifully versatile so play around with other variations as you wish. Cozy up to a warm bowl and enjoy!

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Vegan, gluten-free (with tamari)
Serves about 6-8

Ingredients
1 onion
3 carrots
8 oz. mushrooms
3 medium potatoes (about 3 cups diced)
4-5 cloves garlic
4 cups vegetable broth
3-4 cups water (or more broth)
3 Tbsp. tamari (or soy sauce)
2 cups dry brown lentils
2 cups spinach (or kale)
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. dried parsley
Salt to taste
Optional additions: other herbs of choice, sweet potato, kale, cauliflower, butternut squash, etc.

Directions
Dice onion and carrot, and mince garlic. Halve or slice the mushrooms. Dice the potatoes into about 1" chunks.
In a large stockpot over medium heat, saute onion for 5 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and herbs. Cook 4 more minutes. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute.
Add broth, 3-4 cups of water, and tamari/soy sauce.
Increase heat and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, add lentils and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 35 minutes or until lentils are tender.
Stir in spinach during the last couple minutes of cooking.
Salt/season to taste.

Note: if you don't have dried thyme or parsley, a combo of dried basil and oregano work well too! This makes a large batch, so cut in half if desired.

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