Budget Red Lentil Cabbage Soup

This soup was a happy accident. I was not expecting much with the few things I had to work with in my fridge one week – a head of cabbage, a few carrots, and one red bell pepper. It just goes to show what some good spices can really do.

This recipe makes a hearty amount due to the whole head of cabbage in it. It seems a bit ridiculous right away, but I love making as big of a batch as I can to stretch out meals. It’s also a great budget friendly soup as white cabbage and a pound of lentils are both inexpensive. To make it more satisfying and delicious, top each bowl with avocado and/or a drizzle of high quality olive oil when serving.

Budget Red Lentil Cabbage Soup

Ingredients

• 1 small red onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
• small bit of coconut oil
• 1 TBSP garam marsala
• 1 TBSP curry powder
• 1 TBSP paprika
• 1/2 TBSP CCF
• 1 pound red lentils, rinsed for about a minute in a fine mesh strainer
• 3 large carrots, halved and chopped
• 1 medium head green cabbage, finely sliced into shreds
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

In a large and wide soup pot, sauté onion and garlic in a bit of water or oil. I water sauté and then add a small bit of coconut oil to bloom the spices in a bit of fat. Once the onion is sauteed, add and toast the spices until fragrant. Add in 5 cups of water and the rinsed red lentils. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring once halfway so that the lentils don’t stick. Make sure to stir this soup throughout or the lentils will stick and burn!

Now add in the carrots (first), cabbage, red bell pepper, and 3 more cups of water. Press down the cabbage a bit. It won’t all be submerged right now. That’s okay. Put the cover back on and cook over medium for 15 more minutes, stirring halfway to prevent the lentils from burning on the bottom. At that time, mix in the cabbage in more.

Once this time is up, see how much more time it needs yet as every pot and cooktop is a bit different. I usually stir it and leave it cooking with the cover on for about 5 more minutes and then take the cover off and turn down the heat to super low. It’s pretty much ready at this point, but I let it sit a bit before serving. I salt and pepper each bowl to taste for this particular soup when serving instead of adding it all to the pot, but do your thing.

To make this more satisfying when serving, I top serving bowls with 1/2 diced avocado or high quality olive oil. I had some air-fried tofu that I ate along side it in the above picture. Enjoy however you choose.

From my kitchen to yours. With love & gratitude, Xx Riane

You might like this other red lentil soup I’ve been making with coconut milk lately. If you are making for guests, I would do the coconut milk one for sure.

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