I love lemony soups and this one is delicious. I added lemon and thyme to my original recipe which turned out great. My son enjoyed this version of the lentil soup as well.

Products shown in picture:

Avanchy  Bambo Bowl

Kiddobloom Spoon

Recipe

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry lentils, I like to use French Lentils
• 3 tablespoons of avocado oil
• 1 small onion or 1/2 of a large onion
• 2 carrots (or 1 large carrot)
• 1/2 of red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of chopped thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 fresh tomato, diced
• 2 cups filtered water
• 4 cups chicken broth, or vegetable broth
• few pieces of spaghetti, about 15-20
• 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup of cilantro
• 1 cup of spinach or 1 kale
• salt and pepper (optional,  if you want to leave it out for your little one)

Instructions

Give the lentils a rinse and set it aside to drain.

To prepare the vegetables, dice the onion, red pepper and carrot. I like to thinly dice the carrots (I cut the bottom half of the carrot in half before thinly slicing it since it tends to be thicker).

Also mince a garlic and set it aside-don’t include it with the chopped vegetables. Garlic cooks faster than the vegetables and if it overcooks, it can make the soup bitter.

Add oil to a pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, red pepper and carrots. Allow the vegetables to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent – about 3-5 minutes.

To prepare the thyme, hold the top of the stem with one hand and run your fingers down the leaves with your other hand. Toss the stem away and dice the thyme leaves. Measure 1 1/2 teaspoons and add that to the pot. Stir.

Add the diced tomato and allow it to cook until it becomes soft.

Add the minced garlic and stir. Allow it to cook for 30 seconds.

Add the lentils to the pot and stir. Carefully add the water and the broth. Stir the contents. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the soup to a boil. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat to low and allow the soup to simmer for 15 minutes. While the soup is simmering, grab a small amount of spaghetti, about 15-20 pieces, and break them into small pieces, about 1/2 inch long. Set the spaghetti pieces aside.

After 15 minutes, add the spaghetti pieces and stir.  Place the lid back on and allow the soup to come back to a boil. Stir the soup to make sure the spaghetti doesn’t stick. Allow the soup to simmer on low heat for another 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

Note: If the pasta absorbs a lot of the fluid, you may add more liquid.

Add 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (may add more or less depending on your preference). Add the spinach and the finely chopped cilantro (or may add diced kale instead or any leafy green). Also add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and give it a stir. Allow it to cook for 5 minutes.

Note: You may ladle some soup without the added salt into your little one’s bowl, then add the salt to the soup in the pot, to taste, for the rest of the family.

Turn the heat off and allow it sit. I’ve found that the soup tastes better after it has sat for awhile, off the heat, to allow the ingredients to marry – about 15 minutes.

Serve