Healthy, Inexpensive Meals – Barley Lentil Soup
Posted By Beth K On December 28, 2012 @ 2:00 pm In Healthy Eating,Organic and Green Living | No Comments
In these cooler days of winter, sometimes you just want to snuggle up with a steaming bowl of soup. I enjoy hearty, homemade soup and chili very much. Staying away from the cans in the grocery aisle is easy when you can prepare healthy, inexpensive meals at home.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon organic extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 organic onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup organic barley
- 1/2 cup organic sprouted lentils
- 1 cup organic carrots, sliced
- 3/4 small organic cabbage head, roughly chopped
- Better than Bouillon Beef Broth concentrate (organic)
- 2 organic potatoes, diced
- 1 cup organic spinach, fresh, roughly chopped or torn
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In soup pot, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onion begins to become less opaque.
- Add barley, lentils, carrots, and cabbage to pot.
- Measure water by the cupful and add to pot until vegetables are covered.
- Add appropriate amount of concentrated beef base to make water into broth.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce to low heat and simmer covered for 45 minutes.
- Add potatoes and bring to a boil again. Simmer on medium for 15 minutes.
- Add spinach. Simmer until spinach is wilted. This will only take a few minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
This recipe contains no meat. But I do use a beef broth for flavor. You could easily turn this into a completely vegan meal if you substituted homemade vegetable broth for the beef base.
I love this meal because it’s hearty and easy to prepare. This is great for a lazy day soup when you don’t have time to slave away in the kitchen. Plus, I save money by buying most of the organic ingredients for an excellent price at Costco. That’s one of the least expensive ways I’ve found to integrate more organic foods into our diet.
This is one of those recipes that stores very well for days in the fridge. Make yourself lunch for a week with one pot. You’ll save money and be eating healthy.
Round out this healthy, inexpensive meal with a warm loaf of Buttermilk Quick Bread. My husband and our two year old can’t get enough of this tasty combo!
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