Lentil soup is rescued from its stodgy status by a hefty, fragrant dollop of canned green curry paste. Coconut milk makes the soup creamy whilst keeping it dairy-free and a clamshell of tender spinach wilted in at the end adds bright green color. Canned lentils can be found right by the canned beans in the grocery store. If they’re hard to score, use two cans of black eyed peas instead.
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
2
1
1
4
¼
1
2
2
4
5
2
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Add 1 large carrot, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced into half-moons, 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced, 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, ¼ cup green curry paste, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Cook, stirring and scraping bottom of pot often, until onion is translucent and paste is fragrant, slightly darkened in color, and sticking to pot, 6–8 minutes.
Step 2
Add two 15-oz. cans lentils, rinsed, one 13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk, and 1 cup water and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until carrot is tender, 8–10 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, cook 4 oz. ditalini (about 1 cup) in a medium pot of boiling salted water just until very al dente, about 1 minute less than package directions; drain.
Step 4
Add 5 oz. baby spinach, ditalini, and remaining one 13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk to pot with lentils and stir well to combine. Cook until soup comes to a boil and spinach is tender and wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice. Taste soup and season with more salt if needed. Ladle into bowls to serve.