Two days ago, I was having a tough afternoon. Without any thinking, I found myself walking into the kitchen, pulling out a bunch of vegetables and herbs, and filling a large metal pot with water.
Sometimes the heart knows what the mind does not.
Cooking is one of the most grounding and satisfying practices I know of. Might be because I grew up in a restaurant, but I have a feeling it’s something much deeper than that. When the world outside seems overwhelming, or you’re just feeling a little off, sometimes just putting your hands on raw ingredients and working with spice and temperature to create something nourishing can bring you into a state of much-needed connectedness.
When we’re in this mindset, we begin to see deeper meaning in the process. In this place of enlightened motion, seemingly mundane ingredients begin to reveal their subtle secrets.
At the heart of the sacred recipe below is an ingredient with quite a tale to tell.
The lentil.
Known as Lens Culinaris, the lentil is one of the oldest food sources in human history.
A vast majority of the ingredients we use today were cultivated after we humans settled down into agrarian societies and began planting and harvesting on a seasonal calendar. But there are some that were pivotal food staples of our ancestors long before that.
I’m talking about primal foods that hunters and gatherers treasured for their taste and nutrition. The everyday lentil, as plain as it might seem, is a member of that special group of ancient foods.
Evidence shows that hunter gatherers in Northern Africa and nearby regions of Asia consumed forms of wild lentils over 13,000 years ago. And guess what?
They’re LOADED with nutrition.
Dried lentils are 26% protein (one the most protein-rich legumes) and are a good source of potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, lysine, and folate. Plus, they have a ton of dietary fiber. It’s no wonder our distant forebears turned to them as a primary source of plant sustenance.
Who needs fiction when the truth is so fascinating?
When you’re crafting the delicious soup below, keep in mind the not-so-ordinary history of each lentil that falls into the pot.
A Savory & Nourishing Lentil Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
10 Cups Of Water
5 Cups Vegetable Stock (Or Chicken Stock If You Prefer)
4 Tbsp Coconut Oil / Butter
3 Stalks Celery
1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
3 Cups French Lentils (dry)
1 Yellow Onion
1 Bunch Swiss Chard
1 Butternut Squash
3 Tbsp Curry Powder
2 Tbsp Raw Sugar
2 Bay leafs
1 sprig of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
– Pour 10 cups of water and 5 cups of stock into a large pot, on medium heat.
– Dice celery and onion.
– Peel butternut squash, slice in half, remove seeds and pulp, and dice.
– Chop swiss chard into small strips.
– Rinse lentils and remove any stones.
– Add celery, onions, squash, chard, diced tomatoes, and lentils to pot of heating water.
– Add curry powder, thyme, salt, pepper, bayleaf, raw sugar and coconut oil.
– Once the water begins to boil, bring the heat down to a simmer and cover the pot.
– Cook for 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
– Ready to serve!
2 little secrets to make this soup even more delicious and nutritious:
Add a half-teaspoon of coconut oil and a pinch of crushed red pepper to each bowl after it is poured.
Enjoy!
Nick Polizzi
Host of Healing Kitchen: Let Food Be Thy Medicine
& Founder, The Sacred Science
154 Responses
How much celery??
3 stalks..it`s in the ingredients list ;0)
Exactly!
3 ribs of celery from the bunch…
Wonderful recipe, but I have some questions.
How big is a cup? ( this is a particular American measure but cup sizes vary. And can that be given in metric volume ml please).
How big is a ‘bunch’? (my hands are large so a bunch to me would be a double handful to my wife. Can you give a weight please grams or ounces).
American dry measuring cup is 8oz. which converts to 226 grams. Use this for the lentils.
American liquid cup 8 oz. converts to 236.6ml Use this for the water (10 cups = approx. 2.36L) and the stock (5 cups = approx. 1.18L).
The dry measure cup is by volume, not weight – a quick google of the weight of 1 cup of lentils comes up as 210 grams, so your 226 conversion isn’t far enough off that it’d matter much, but I just wanted to point it out for folks to be aware of. Best practice is to google the weight in grams of measure of a particular item to convert.
In the US we can also check the nutrition facts label for a measure conversion to grams based on serving size (eg: serving size 1 cup (210 grams) ), I’m not sure if such a thing exists elsewhere.
Swiss chard is typically sold by the bunch, usually 5-6 large leaves or 8-10 smaller leaves. I find this is usually around 8 cups, or 1800 grams, chopped.
1800 grams, ie 1.8 kg? Or 180 grams?🤔🙂
Thank you for a wonderful recipe that I can’t wait to make and for the lovely poem by Wendell Berry. Soup is so satisfying at this time of year and we need all the comforting we can get after such an emotionally exhausting election year.
With the arrival of cooler weather, and after neglecting lentils for a while, I’ve begun adding them to my soups, along with quinoa. The lentils impart a ‘beefy’ texture to make the soup a more substantial meal. Love lentils! And thanks for the great recipe.
What size can of tomatoes?
If it was me I would take a breath, and simply trust my intuition Linda. It works every time, and the “exact” amount of tomatoes won’t make or break the soup. Trust 🙂 🙂
The recipe indicates a 14.5 oz can. If you use fresh tomato, it should be about 1.5 cups.
What a wonderful wonderful post. I really connected with this as, for me, cooking is Zen.
Here in Wisconsin our weather is taking a downturn over the weekend, so the right time to
make this. Sundays are always my day to R & R, be lazy, read and watch or listen to
my favorite PBS. What better way to do this than to have a few bowls of the soup throughout
the day.
Thank you!
Mary “Nuni” Learman
Thank-you Nick for the poem, the hearty recipe and reminding me that comfort is right here in the kitchen.
I am making this soup as I read your email. It smells wonderful and here in the Northeast soup is so satisfying on a cold, raw day. Thank you for the update!
Thank you for sharing – I can’t wait to try it. Sounds yummy
This recipe is soul food. Thanks, Nick.
Looking forward to making it on the weekend …
Hi Nick
Thank you for your great tips on healthy eating. I love lentils, and I will definitely try your recipe for winter lentil soup. Many Thanks. John
I’m 66 years old from Ecuador I’m been eating lentils all my live . Love lentils great information
Thank you, Nick, for this warming and nourishing soup recipe to warm body and soul – and thanks for the Wendell Barry poem as well! Your emails are so welcome amid all the clatter and jabber that comes to us!
In such wonderful soup with fresh ingredients, why would you use “can” tomatoes?
It may be because it’s easier but probably is because canned tomatoes have a lot of flavor, whereas fresh ones don’t unless they are heirloom or good quality and in season. When not in season and flown in from wherever, they have no flavor.
Because sometimes it good to be humbled by and Grateful for a “can” of tomatoes.
Why use raw honey when you’re going to heat it?
Excellent point!!! Does anyone know the answer?
Not understanding why sugar would have to be used at all in this lentil soup? We live in this culture that is sugar addicted, why do we need to add it to what could be a beautiful healthy soup? We know sugar feeds cancer because it’s an acid in the system, the less sugar the better for us.
Nick, this soup looks great. . . except for the raw sugar. As someone who never consumes sugar, not sure I’d want to spoil this beautiful soup by adding it. Thanks for this great recipe (minus sugar.)
I agree with all of you…no sugar should be in the soup. I make a couple soups I created, including a brown lentil one, and I never use sugar or any sweetener. People love my soups too.
Any kind of lentils? Black, red, mung dahl, grey??
Nick did say French lentils ….. available in the grocery store 🙂
French lentils are a form of green lentils, a bit smaller and darker green. I wouldn’t think the type of lentils matters too much.
I ve never cooked lentils before but concerned about “stone” removal. Afraid if some are accidentally left in and I give it to someone they might break a tooth. Anyone have that issue?
Just pour the dry lentils into a colander or bowl slowly so you can see and pick out any bits that aren’t lentils. I don’t usually find anything but have a couple of times.
This is story is remarkable and so many of us could adapt the East Indian cooking. We are eating better after adopting these recipes
Thank you for sharing the soup recipe, and the beautiful poem.
Nice recipe. But no print button. Can’t be bothered!
how about cut and paste?
easy peasy to cut/paste. is what I did.
going to make this today. mmmmmm
will leave a separate comment after finished making. 🙂
Thank you Nick for your wise and inspiring words. Thanks for devoting your life to preserving ancient wisdom. I have shared your post to my FB page Sustainabilitywa
Ctrl + P will make it Print!!! Most of the Q posted would be answered if you just read the recipe a second time! I do not believe honey becomes toxic when heated! Use fresh tomatoes if you don’t like cans! Simple! This recipe sounds wonderful; I’ve not seen butternut and lentils together before. I will definitely make this recipe! I loved that poem, too. May I just add that measurement conversion charts are all over the internet, if you need them.
Thanks for this Rosie! I wasn’t brave enough to do as you did, though I did do a couple of kind replies.
Awesome.
Will def. try the lentil recipe.
This is the first I have heard of you.
Who are you?
I am Susan, born and raised and still live in Mexico, from US parents.
Thank you for the history of lentils.
I love lentil soup in any way possible! I would eat it every day if I could but this hurried life doesn’t often help in that. Thanks for this recipe.
Syncronicity Nick, I just finished eating a delicious bowl of lentil soup I made two days ago. Comfort food for sure.
Thanks,
I am from europe and in europe we soak lentils, millet and buckwheat in water over night. This way you cook up to five minutes no longer. Millet and buckwheat you cook up to two minutes to preserve the nutrients. I hope this might help someone.
Thank you Mo, I will try this!
wow – this morning I thought I would make a soup with my butternut squash, diced organic tomatoes and lentils – and her is the recipe I would have been looking for! Right at my finger tips!!
Thank you for the recipe. Is that cilantro on top? parsley?
Whichever you prefer. Even green onion or fennel or thyme or pea shoots. Be creative – that’s what recipes are for, to guide you – especially with soup.
Halloween is coming up and pumpkins are everywhere. I use them instead of squash.
I just made this tonight! Very easy and delicious. Thanks for the inspiration and recipe!
Why do Americans add sugar (here 2 tbsp of honey) to everything? No wonder there is a diabetes problem. Be bold, leave it out and reducate your palate. Some of these vegetables already taste quite sweet.
I agree Francis! There’s sugar in most recipes here, I always leave I out.
hey there!
i suggest letting the lentil sit in water overnight for better digestion
letzing the tomatoes out cause its not really seosonal and canned tomatoes not really healthy
snd honey should never ever be cooked!!! cheers and bon appetite
Stefanie, How is it with no tomatoes? Do you replace them with something else?
Thanks.
This recipe for this soup sounds very lovely I will definitely try. Thank you for sharing
Thank you for sharing, sounds lovely will definitely try valerie
Hi, Nick!
I love honey, yet I’d like to suggest you use honey while served on the plate. Honey should not be cooked or added in hot drinks or food that have over 40 Celsius degrees because it becomes very toxic. I have learned that from the beekeepers, but I also checked with other sources, inclusive those from Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. I use honey daily, but with some caution regarding the drink and food temperature and the daily intake of sugar. Your soup looks great and I bet it is delicious! Warm hugs 🙂 <3
Divine intervention it appears receiving these gifts. Thank you Nick for sharing….I always look forward to hearing from you. Blessings
Thank you Nick,
This note is just to acknowledge your contribution to my learning and let you know that I appreciate you.
Rita
According to Ayurveda when you heat honey (boiling in your soup and simmer) it becomes poisonous because your body can not digest it
I was going through a tough day when I read this email post, the recipe and poem. Without even thinking about it further, my feet had walked me to the kitchen and I’d pulled out a pot and most of the ingredients and vegan chopping. I never realized before that I could treat my own state of mind with preparing nuitritious comforting soup! Touching and ‘talking’ to the raw vegetables and putting time, Love, focus and energy into something organic and living was a revelation. Thank you Nick for your experience. I am so grateful.
Oh my gosh! This was delicious! I’ve made and loved many lentil soups, and this was one of my favorites. Thank you, Nick!
This looks delicious and I will make it next week
I wish you had a PRINT feature.
It would make taking your recipe to kitchen and store much easier.
Kind Regards
Heather
Hey, Nick. I follow you because I love your passion. I wanted to point out a couple of things about your recipe that you might not be aware of. The first is that canned tomatoes is one of the most toxic foods in the grocery store. It is on the list of foods to never consume in the classes that I teach. Also, lentils should never be consumed without being first soaked for 12-24 hours and then thoroughly rinsed. Our bodies cannot digest them properly otherwise. Thank you for all you do!
~ Stephanie Oaks, owner of No. 9 Farms (an organic, regenerative farm in TN)
Stephanie, I totally agree with your assessment. Tomatoes are in the nightshade family, which I avoid because they cause me digestive issues and leaky gut. I also avoid lentils unless they are pressure cooked after soaking. Both are high in lectins, and I try to eat lectin free. I also avoid all sugar including honey, grains and cow dairy (we use goat milk products). If I ate this soup I would need a lot of herbal tea to calm my stomach. Nick, I loved your 10 part remedy series and have purchased it, and the home remedy kit, but I prefer a lectin free mushroom soup I make using button, shataki, mitake, and lions mane mushrooms with added Reichi and Chaga powder for a super immune healthy start to Fall.
I agree! I only eat legumes soaked and pressure cooked. Tomatoes skinned and seeded. I have been so much better since avoiding lectins.
To the commenters about canned tomatoes: if my can of tomatoes is labeled “bpa free” is it still unhealthy? If so, what would be the reason?
The only brand that I know of that does not line their cans with bpa is Eden Foods, who also boil the skins off and remove the seeds which are the most toxic part of the fruit. The very rare time I use canned or any tomatoes, I pressure cook them in a sauce, but the fallout from leaky gut is enough to eliminate them from my diet.
I do not eat any canned tomatoes. BPA free is not the only toxicity of canned foods. Further, the canning process is with very high heat that destroys much of the nutrition. Tomatoes are a summer veggie for me and unless I freeze them for winter never eat them after the summer produce is gone. As for lentils? I stay away from most of the high carb foods but have been told that my body handles them well (which I know from experience). But they are a very limited edition in my diet. I do think that eating them with high volume of veggies, especially dark green leafy ones, gives some balance.
Thank you for the inspirational email and this lovely recipe!
Honey loses everything when it’s heated to more than 60 C.
What size can of tomatoes? Small or Large? Someone who has made soup, please answer.Thanks.
use powdered stevia plant which is green , NOT commercial processed stevia which is white instead of honey .
a little goes a long way ,
and
a pinch of cardamom and a pinch of Ceylon cinnamon
stevia is known to break down biofilm as per the research of Dr Sapi
I’m interested about finding out more about your soup
I’m excited to try this recipe and I love the message of this post!
Just a note, in addition to the ones already stated about honey and canned tomatoes and soaking lentels, to those trying to be as healthy as possible:
If you have researched the latest science you’ll know that consuming too much oil, of any kind, is harmful to the body. It’s a processed food, and should be used very sparingly or better yet, not at all!
Enjoyed this. …
Newsletter?
Hi nick,
Can you resend me the grog recipe? Lost it and thunk it came from you.
Thx.
Y
Hi Everyone…..Loved this article as I can so relate as well. I’ve been a caterer in the Los Angeles area. My business was about cooking privately for people, not as a big party but more intimately. I found that this is where I could be of most benefit since I know herbs so well and food as a means of health and life really. I had been a vegetarian since my young teenage years, but somehow understood food enough that I could also cook meat for those who asked.
I was given the honor of cooking for Yogi Bhajan (Yogi Tea) when he was alive and when he would come into town and one of his favorite soups that I would make was made with Lentils. It is a very, very simple recipe but one of my most requested. It was brown rice browned in olive oil adding diced onions half way through the browning process, and then adding fresh crushed garlic maybe 3-4 cloves and letting those be stirred in the browning process for a couple of minutes. I would then add a vegetable stock that was home made of course and then my lentils. I would sometimes add finely sliced carrots or kale towards the end. I like the crunch of the carrot still being there but not too much. And then just slowly cooking for about an hour or so. Sometimes people like to add lemon so I would serve with slices of lemon. And sometimes there was someone that would add a dollop of sour cream….although I never did. It is a very hardy soup, and a complete protein. If I had time, I would include a fresh hardy bread baked that day along with some goat cheese. Add a glass of wine, some good friends old and new…..and life doesn’t get any better! Enjoy xoxox
The picture doesn’t match the recipe, which uses French Lentil and they are a greenish brown color. Also the Chard isn’t visible in the picture. I always find it a little strange when pictures don’t match recipes. I used the orange split lentils as I wanted a more colorful soup such as was pictured and doesn’t take 3 hours to prepare.
I agree that heating raw honey is not the best way to go. Why even bother with the expense of raw honey when the heat is going to destroy most of the enzymes. I used maple syrup this time around.
I also agree that measurements like ‘bunch’ aren’t very helpful. My chard comes from the garden so no idea what a bunch would be.
I’ve got a nice pot of this going on my stove and look forward to eating it.
I made a soup kind of like this one last night before reading this recipe 🙂 I did it in an Instant Pot and put on high pressure for 8 minutes and natural release 12 minutes, then manually released the rest of the steam. I used red lentils, added added carrots, parsnips, curry spice, and coconut milk. Omitted tomatoes and sugar. On the coconut milk, I add it after the soup is done and just ensure it is warmed through. I used an immersion blender to blend about half way. Really versatile type of soup 🙂
Cooking chard leaves for 3 hours will make it disintegrate. I suggest adding the leaves a few minutes before the soup is done. I’d also sauté the raw veggies in a bit of oil first, then add water/broth and other ingredients. Otherwise this sounds great!
I believe sugar would not be necessary if a couple of carrots were added.
how many carbs per 1 cup serving?
I’m going to make this soup.Im all for healing. Wish I knew loso a girl and a boy to cancer.
Nick, thank you so much for your wonderful emails, blogs, and recipes! This soup sounds delicious. You mention honey in the instructions but not in the ingredient list. Is honey used instead of raw sugar? How much should we use? Thank you again!
How many servings does this delicious sounding lentil soup make? Is it ok to freeze leftovers? I’ve learned to enjoy lentils especially because I need the extra fiber!
Thanks! María
I love lentil soup and I make it regularly. I have not tried squash in this soup and I look forward to trying it. I recently put butternut squash in my quiche recipe and it was fabulous! I was a bit surprised at the addition of a little sugar in this recipe. I bake and consume sugar, so I am not “against” it per se, but I can’t imagine the soup would need it. When my pasta sauce or soup needs (balancing) sweetening, I find the addition of carrots can do the trick.
Thanks Nick. I was going to make hassleback butternut squash but this sounds really yummy. Making it this coming week with the remainder of the butternut. It was a really big one. lol Hope it passes the test with my finicky eater. More red pepper flakes will probably do the trick.
Thank you for the recipes and information you provide. All delicious and nutritious.
Unfortunately I cannot take advantage of some of the offers of deals on products you support as I live in Canada. We are restricted from economic interaction between each other’s countries since the powers that shouldn’t be have decided its in their best interests to ‘not allow’. As long as we let them
dictate our activities this kind of curtailment will no doubt increase. Perhaps I can have items sent to a friend in US to have brought back to me later.
I love your posts, Nick. They keep me from walking to far away along the Sacred Path at times when my mind and body begin to stay. And then, here you are with tasty tidbits of simpler wisdom. And my roots grow deeper and stronger. Thank you.
Alexandra Ellen Appel
As a cancer survivor, I avoid sugar completely and feel most of the time, as in this recipe, it’s unnecessary. Cancer thrives on sugar. I was very surprised and disappointed to find sugar in your recipe.
Hi Nick. As I have an autoimmune condition I cannot consume nightshades. Can you recommend anything in place of the tomato, curry and red pepper please?
Finally made this recipe! Been saving the link for several MONTHS! Lol…. Delicious. Couple of tweaks we liked was a bit of vinegar (red wine vinegar was our choice but rice vinegar or ACV also would work, maybe even balsamic) to give it some ‘bite’. Also, next time I make it I’ll double the tomatoes to the std 28oz size. Great recipe!
The lentil soup sounds great except for the sugar. Raw or in any form, you of all people, Nick, know that sugar is harmful and had no place in nutritious recipes.
I’ve lost some confidence in you based on the raw sugar added unnecessarily to a savoury dish.
Very yummy recipe! thanks
Amazing I had the same lentil epiphany two days ago. I took one of the bags of lentils out of my cupboard heated olive oil added celery carrots onions a couple tiny potatoes tons of garlic bay leaves pepper cabbage tossed in the lentils and it was as if I was finally eating and smelling was the perfect thing to eat. And I eat plant based everyday! It’s the combination of the lentils with cooked vegetables simmered w spices. Today I’m going for curried quinoa same method. It really mattered! Thanks!
Nick
sounds like a great recipe !
How about a instant pot pressure cooker recipe
thanks, steve
I love the recipes. Do you have any classes coming up on how to dissolve a 5.8 polyp?
Love your blog …and the remedy series was amazing
This looks like a wonderful recipe. Can’t wait to try it now that the weather is getting cooler.
Thank you for your time, knowledge and mission, I’ve learned a lot!
Nick, I’ve been following your work for some time and appreciate the dedication you demonstrate. Your blog is my favourite by far. My friend, who lives on another continent, is about to go into surgery for a hysterectomy to hopefully stop the cancer. She is scared. There is nothing I can do to help her but give my written support. Your words were perfect to send to her this morning with the wish that this ‘soul-warming’ soup can make her feel loved and valuable. I would make it for her if I could. (Please send a little prayer for her and all the other women who are facing something like this. Her name is Jan. ) Thank you for all you do. ❤️
Why is sugar one of the ingredients? I don’t use sugar in my soup recipes, retail brands do. Isn’t the idea to flavor with spices instead so you don’t need sugar?
Thank you so much for this email. Love love love this helpful information. I am on a journey and it’s leading me down a path of enlightenment. Really appreciate your time and effort in helping others see that we have inexpensive remedies all around us, and we have lost the knowledge of how to keep ourselves in good health. Your emails are so informative and valued. Thank you Nick…
What Mr Polizzi is doing and has done by allowing us access to these powerful, informative programs is mind boggling. I have learned so much from him and all who share their knowledge with us. I also have incorporated several of the foods, and herbs. Thank you Mr Polizzi and company
Thank you so much for sharing the lentils soup. Definitely I am making for my family.
Thank you Nick for this healing soup. Appreciate.
Lentils–YUM YUM !! I LOVE LENTILS, they are one of my favorites and always will be. Thank You for a remarkable recipe, can’t wait to make it and I know I will totally enjoy.
Thank You for sharing your knowledge on “Let nature be your doctor” I know sometimes doctors are needed but if we strive day by day to let nature take it course and search and research, we will be better off, besides it’s FUN!!
Thank you very much!! Can’t wait to try it! 👍🌻💜🎃
Do you think I can make this in the pressure cooker? Any guess on timing? Thank you.
Love this soup. Hearty flavorful comforting
Will make it again and again!
It would be helpful if you included nutrition information per serving, and how many servings it yields.
Heart attack survivor Modifications
10 Cups Of Water
5 Cups Vegetable Stock (Or Chicken Stock If You Prefer)
4 Tbsp Butter
3 Stalks Celery
1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
3 Cups French Lentils (dry)
1 Yellow Onion
1 Bunch Swiss Chard
1 Butternut Squash
3 Tbsp Curry Powder
2 Tbsp HONEY
2 Bay leafs
1 sprig of fresh thyme
“Hawaiian Pink Salt ” and pepper to taste.
There ya go pals..
It’s interesting to us in the UK that American recipes so often require 2 tablespoons of sugar. It’s virtually unknown in savoury recipes here. Certainly our ancestors in Northern Africa would find it ironic, given the cruel history of sugar as far as their descendents would be concerned, that recipes like this combine the two histories together. A lot of us think we should be eating less sugar. It seems strange that you need it.
It looks like a lovely soup, I shall be trying it without the sugar 🙂
Sounds good a great way to end the day
sounds great EXCEPT why the SUGAR? It will probably be fantastic without it and better for health.
Hi Nick,
I made the lentil soup today and it smelt so beautiful as it was cooking that we could hardly wait to taste it! We were not disappointed! It was delicious and you could actually feel it doing your body good!
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderfully grounding and healthy recipe with us.
By the way, we missed out on ordering the basic package of the Remedy Docuseries for just $47; will this offer be repeated in the future? Do you ship to Australia?
Thank you very much once again,
Helen Hopkins
Sydney, Australia
Hello. I made the lentil soup. Just wanted to point out that the recipe calls for cooking 3 hours and stirring every 30 minutes. In my experience making lentil soup it is usually cooked within 45 minutes. While I did follow your recipe with the ingredients, I did turn it off within the hour then used my immersion blender to mash and incorporate the ingredients a little bit. Still had chunks but not too many. It taste delicious. Thank you
I have never used chard before, do you put the stalk and leaves both in the soup? From the picture it doesn’t look that leafy!
Hi Nick I just made your soup in less than an hour. I chopped and sauteed the veggies. Cooked the lentils separately. Used an emersion blender in both pots and partially blneded everything. Combined all ingredients. Voila! Also I used chopped garden tomatoes instead of canned.
This soup is simply delicious! I substituted a handful of chopped medjool dates for the raw sugar and served over quinoa. An added bonus is extra meals for my freezer. Thank you Nick!!!
I made this savory soup, and boy was it savory and delicious! The curry odor lingered for days. My home smelled like an Indian restaurant, but it was all good. I will make it again, but when I have company. It was a lot for one person.
Thank you Nick! I am making the soup now and it smells so good. I can’ t wait to eat it. Thanks again.
Thank you so much for all your fascinating videos and this interesting site. I particularly appreciate all the medicinal mushroom information.
God Bless you and your family.
Hello
I have a question? First where can I purchase your smudge sticks. Also where can I purchase the mushrooms you recommend. Last but not least I live in ND which has 18 of snow so I can’t get to the pine needles, do you know of a place I can purchase them.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
Val
Muchas gracias.i can almost smell the soup.love and light.kirsten bedmar
Does it matter the pine tree? We have a Fraser fir in our living room now – still soft & vibrant! Can I use the needles for your recipes?
Love your posts!!
Thanks for the great recipe, Nick! Lentils really hit the spot sometimes.
I’ll share a neat trick I picked up: The hardest part of the prep is definitely peeling the butternut squash! While you are prepping the other stuff, etc., put the *whole* butternut in your oven and turn it on at 375 F. (No preheat necessary). Leave the squash in the oven for 15-20 minutes. This is just enough time for the flesh just under the skin to cook enough to make peeling it a zillion times easier.
THANK YOU, Marion. I hate peeling a butternut squash but I love eating them.
Thanks for a great recipe Nick. I’m in New Zealand where we are in the midst of Spring. A warm day here today but this soup is now bubbling away to have as part of this evening’s meal. My hubby tells me it smells absolutely delicious. I’m certain this one will be a keeper!!!
I loved the Healing Kitchen series. I didn’t want it to stop. I’m working on making the recipes I hope you another series in the future. What you have brought to us is so important at this time to be learning and living a new way of life.
Namaste,
J
I would like a refund on my purchase of “Healing Kitchen” plus the extra course add on. I have not yet received either and I have changed my mind about this purchase.
The recipe sounds wonderful but is the sugar a “must” because I have a diabetic in the family. Also, can you substitute for the coconut oil?
Thank you
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
What is the alternative squash to butternut?
Hi…Mr. Polizzi put out a cookbook a few months back (could be more, time goes by so quickly for me) that sold out quickly. My question is…has there been another printing and if so what outlets is this book available in. ex. Indigo or Amazon. I live in Canada if that is a factor. Thank-you for your attention to this matter. I so enjoy the newsletters. Cheers Anne-Lis Taylor.
I would miss out the coconut oil because the fat is saturated and definitely leave out the Inflammation causing SUGAR!
It’s supposed to be a healthy soup!
Lanie
Soup sounds great. But cook for 3 hours ? Lentils will be mush.
Délicieuse, thank you !
Nick,
How many servings does this lentil soup recipe make? There is only one in my “family”. Can I successfully 1/2 ingredients? Thx
please have recipe in a printable format
I love the look of your recipes and the Fall soup looks wonderful; I have IBS and Diverticulitis so lentils are high FODMAP so I’m wondering if chickpeas might be a good exchange ?
You have been sending me emails for months but I have only just started to read the (16,500 unread in my inbox!j and I’m so glad I didn’t unsubscribe as the recipes and information is really helpful.
Just one question… how long does Fire cider remain useable? I made some 5 years ago and it’s still sitting in a dark, cool cupboard, untouched! It has garlic so not ideal for IBS though I make my own garlic oil which is fine .. whatever FODMAP garlic has is water soluble not oil soluble.
I would say NO on adding sugar. Cancer loves sugar and many people should avoid it.
Delicious, thank you.
A literary suggestion: Genus is always capitalized, species is never capitalized: Lens culinaris.
For health, ditch the sugar…. raw or not, organic or not, it spikes insulin and doesn’t improve actual flavor of anything. Also, both lentils and chard are high in oxalates, which if you do some research you’ll discover are not just about kidney stones. However, boiling a few minutes and rinsing (both lentils and chard), reduce oxalates by up to 50%.
Thanks.
Do I have to use French lentils specifically? I have red lentils and green lentils in my pantry. Could I use those in place of the French lentils?
How much does this recipe make? I’m cooking for one and so trying to figure how to cut it back. Sounds delicious.
Great blog and most delicious recipe., I’m thoroughly amazed with your followers and all the great tips they shared on the recipe as well as question on honey as a replacement for raw sugar. Although I’m no expert I’m a diabetic and have learned a lot about sugars. Honey can be cooked but it loses most of its nutrients so I personally wouldn’t be adding until just before serving the soup. Also it’s best to use raw or unprocessed honey when serving with other foods. This soup recipe is great without sugar. I made a smaller recipe today and it was so yummy and gratifying. Thanks for sharing.
I am a Chris beats cancer follower. I enjoy your series but my concern is that you use Sugar not an alternative, as Sugar is a big NO for people fighting Cancer like myself. If you could suggest what to use in your recipe’s to replace sugar that would be great.
Thank you,
Bruce
I have this cooking right now. It smells delicious!
I would love a printable version of this recipe please
Thanks Nick for sharing this amazing recipe. It was delicious and now printed and added t our healing recipe book!
What’s the garnish in the photo?