Looking for a warm, low maintenance, healthy meal to cozy up to this fall? I may have just the thing: Lentil Soup. This meal is a recurring one at my dinner table, especially when the weather starts to get cold. All it takes is the chopping of celery and carrots, throwing a bunch of ingredients into a pot and letting it cook. The meal ends up providing roughly 8 servings and is about 110 calories for a bowl. 

Ingredients

2 envelopes of Lipton Secrets Onion 

8 cups of water 

1 ½ cup of lentils 

1 cup of uncooked brown rice 

1 can of petite diced tomatoes 

1 can of original Ro-Tel tomatoes with green chiles 

3 full-sized carrots, diced 

3 stalks of celery, chopped 

1 tsp of basil 

1 tsp of oregano 

½ tsp of thyme 

Directions

You may want to sauté the chopped veggies for about eight minutes before adding them to the pot. Rinse and drain the lentils before using them. After these steps, bring these ingredients to a boil, then simmer covered, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes. Then stir in the following: 

2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar 

1 tbsp of parsley 

½ tsp of pepper 

After all the ingredients are stirred together, the meal is ready to go! While this is the original recipe, I always add a little extra apple cider vinegar to taste, seasoning and a small pinch of salt to amp up the flavor. If you aren’t a fan of spiciness, you can always substitute the can of Ro-Tel for more diced tomatoes. Or, if you love spicy food, you can substitute the diced tomatoes with an extra can of Ro-Tel. 

Apple cider vinegar might seem like an unusual addition in this recipe, but it makes a world of difference in the flavor of the stew. Many people boast of the wonderful health benefits it has, such as being good for weight loss and helping to reduce cholesterol. While studies are mixed on how helpful  apple cider vinegar is, I do recommend getting Bragg’s apple cider vinegar or another raw and unfiltered one with a “cloudy” consistency to it. Not only do I find the flavor profile deeper, but it’s possible that it may provide some health benefits as well.