Spinach and Lentil Soup with Mung Beans for Cold Days of the Year

Spinach and lentil soup with mung beans is a hearty, delicious blend of legumes and vegetables, ideal for cold days of the year and light, healthy meals.

Spinach and lentil soup with mung beans is a nutritious and delicious combination of beans and vegetables, which is ideal for cold days of the year and light and healthy meals.

According to Ambassador Arjan's report, citing Dalgarm, the combination of spinach, lentils and mung beans is a smart choice, because each of these raw materials has unique properties that together are a complete food bomb. Mung bean and lentil soup is rich in vegetable protein and can be considered as a suitable substitute for meat in meals.

Red cabbage and pomegranate salad, the best choice for autumn parties

A cup of lentils (preferably green or brown lentils)

300 grams of fresh spinach (or half a cup of dried spinach)

A medium potato (optional for more concentration)

Two tablespoons of olive oil or liquid oil

Salt and black pepper as needed

Lemon juice or orange juice as desired

Six to eight cups of water or chicken broth (depending on the desired concentration)

First, clean the lentils and mung beans carefully and wash them several times with cold water. In order for the beans to cook faster and reduce their swelling, it is better to soak them in water a few hours before. If you don't have enough time, you can soak them with warm water and a little salt so that they cook faster.

Second step: frying onions and spices

In a suitable pot, put the oil on medium heat. Add chopped onion and fry until soft and golden. Then add the chopped garlic to the onion and fry for another minute until the aroma of the garlic is released. At this stage, add turmeric and cumin and fry with onion for thirty seconds; This makes the aroma of the spices spread throughout the soup and gives a better color and taste to the food.

Now add the chopped lentils, mung beans and carrots to the pot and fry all the ingredients together for a few minutes. Then add water to the ingredients and cover the pot. Let it cook on low heat until the beans are completely soft. This step usually takes between forty and sixty minutes.

After the beans are fully cooked, add the washed and chopped spinach to the soup. Note that spinach cooks very quickly and only needs five to seven minutes of heat. If you are using frozen spinach, first put it in a colander to drain the excess water.

Step 5: Final flavoring

At this stage, add salt, black pepper and, if desired, a little turmeric or cumin to the soup. If you like the soup to be thicker, you can cook the mashed potatoes from scratch with the beans or puree part of the soup with a meat grinder or blender.

At the end, sprinkle lemon juice or fresh orange juice on the soup. This adds depth to the flavor of the soup and increases the absorption of iron in the lentils and spinach. Pour the soup into suitable bowls and serve with stone bread, wholemeal bread or pieces of toast.

To prepare a delicious lentil and mung bean soup, pay attention to these points:

Soaking the beans: This makes the beans cook faster and reduces their puffiness.

Using the right spices: turmeric, cumin and black pepper are the best combination for this soup.

Roasting the spices: roast the spices together with the onion until their aroma is released.

Avoid boiling spinach for a long time: add spinach late to preserve its vitamins.

Add lemon juice at the end: this will balance the taste of the soup and improve the absorption of minerals.