Lentil Soup with Cottage Cheese

Ingredients

• Olive oil

  Salad or cooking

  2 tbsp or 27g

• Carrots

  Raw

  1 medium or 61g

• Onions

  Raw

  ½ cup, chopped or 80g

• Garlic powder

  Spices

  1 tsp or 3g

• Onion powder

  Spices

  1 tsp or 2g

• Curry powder

  Spices

  1 tsp or 2g

• Crushed red pepper flakes

  1 tsp or 0.3g

• Cumin

  Spices, cumin seed

  1 tsp, ground or 3g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  1 tsp or 2g

• Garlic

  Raw

  2 cloves, minced or 6g

• Tomatoes

  Red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice

  ½ can or 95g

• Water

  Plain, clean water

  1 cup or 237g

• Chicken broth

  Soup, canned, less/reduced sodium

  3 cup or 720g

• Lentils

  Raw

  1 cup or 192g

• Spinach

  Raw

  1 package (10 oz) or 284g

• Cottage cheese

  Lowfat, 1% milkfat

  3 cup or 678g

Directions

1. Warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the chopped carrots and onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, curry powder, red pepper flakes, cumin, black pepper, and minced fresh garlic; cook about 30 seconds until fragrant.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 3–5 minutes to reduce slightly.
5. Pour in the water and chicken broth, then add the lentils. Bring to a boil over high heat.
6. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the lentils are tender, 15–20 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
7. Roughly chop the spinach and stir it into the soup until wilted, 1–2 minutes. Taste and season with salt if needed.
8. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with a generous dollop of cottage cheese.