I end up making these one pot hearty soups on one of my busiest days of the work week. And this is probably one of our favorites! This recipe is inspired by one of my favorite blogs “Vegan Richa”. I have modified it a bit to suit our tastebuds. And left overs (if any! haha) work very well for lunches.
This soup itself is vegan. Based on your preference you could eat it as it as, the vegan version or add some cheese on top before serving. Om loves to add some shredded cheese for sure!
You will need:
Oil:
1tbsp olive oil
Veggies:
1/2 onion chopped
7-8 mushrooms sliced
1/4 green pepper chopped
1 carrot diced
1 zucchini diced
You could add other veggies like squash, parsnip, olives, broccoli, cauliflower, red/orange/yellow pepper.
Seasonings:
onion powder
garlic powder
rosemary
thyme
oregano
red chilli flakes
crushed black pepper
1tsp rasam powder (optional, you can get it in Indian stores)
salt per taste
Protein:
1/2 cup red lentils
Soup base:
15oz can diced tomatoes
3 cups vegetable broth (or water)
Pasta:
4-5 lasgana sheets (broken)
You will need 4-5, based on size of the sheets. You could use either regular sheets or oven ready/no boil sheets.
Fresh herbs (optional):
thyme (from my Gardyn)
basil (from my Gardyn)
Garnish (optional):
nutritional yeast
greens (I used kale, spinach, green/red mustard from my Gardyn)
shredded cheese
Method:
I make this in my Instant Pot (IP). Heat up the oil in saute mode of IP. Add in all the veggies, saute for a bit. Add all the seasonings except for the salt. Mix in the lentils and soup base ingredients. Add the lasagna sheets, make sure that they are submerged in the soup base ( for them to cook). Mix in the fresh herbs and salt. Close the lid of IP and set the valve to sealed position. Cook at manual high pressure for 3 minutes. Wait for natural pressure release for 10 minutes then do a quick release. This will ensure that pasta sheets are not overcooked. Add the nutritional yeast and greens. Once you mix that in, greens will cook in that heat itself. Serve it as it or with shredded cheese on top!
NOTE:
- Adding the rasam powder is totally optional. I just like to add some of it to get a bit of spice kick to the soup.
- If you decide to make this in the morning before heading out to work, you can also let it go for natural pressure release. Pasta sheets might just be a bit overcooked. But personally I don't care about that as much, because at the end of your work day after picking up HANGRY kids, all you need is a yummy dinner that is ready to be served!
ENJOY!
