⏳ Yield & Time

Yield: 4 servings

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

🍽 Ingredients

• 1 cup, chopped Carrots
• 1/2 cup, chopped Celery
• 1/2 cup, chopped Onion
• 2 cloves, minced Garlic
• 1 tablespoon, minced Ginger
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) Red pepper flakes
• 1 cup Green lentils
• 1 cup Apple cider
• 4 cups Vegetable broth
• 1 medium, peeled and chopped Apples
• 1 cup, roughly chopped Spinach
• to taste Salt
• to taste Black pepper

📖 Instructions

1. First things first: Get yourself a big pot or Dutch oven – the kind that makes you feel all cozy and warm inside. Wash and chop all your veggies. Seriously, if you don’t chop your veggies before starting, you’ll end up procrastinating like crazy…been there, done that! Also, do you know what's really annoying? When your recipe has missing ingredients. Always check if you have everything before you start!
2. Next, sauté your carrots, celery, and onion. Medium heat is your friend here. Don’t rush it; you want them nice and soft. Also, remember that you need to actually cut the vegetables before cooking, you don’t want to throw whole veggies in your pot, that’s not how it’s done! If you burn the vegetables, you can just start again. It's just not worth the stress to deal with burnt veggies and a ruined soup.
3. Add your garlic, ginger, and spices. Cook for another minute or two, just until fragrant. Think of this as the aromatic perfume of your soup—it's what will wake up those taste buds! Then, stir in your lentils, apple cider, and vegetable broth. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes, or until your lentils are tender. You don’t want to overcook them. If you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to wait for all those lentils to be cooked, you can always use pre-cooked lentils.
4. Now for the star of the show—the apples! Once your lentils are tender, add the chopped apples and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until they’re soft but still hold their shape. Don’t overcook them; they should still have a little bit of bite. At this point, if you are using an immersion blender—what a great thing to have in your kitchen—then use it! Blend the soup until smooth. Not fully pureed, of course – we want to still see little bits of apple and lentil. If you don’t have a blender you can still leave it as is, just less smooth, but good! Finally, stir in your fresh spinach, letting it wilt slightly in the hot soup.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper. And maybe a little extra cider vinegar if you feel like it—it adds a lovely zing. Then, dish it up, garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt or a sprinkle of fresh herbs (parsley or thyme is nice) and enjoy your warm, comforting, flavorful soup! I think it’s so tasty and healthy, and I wish I could eat it every day, but I need to keep it balanced. Let me know if you add any other ingredients!

📝 Notes

• For a thicker soup, blend a portion of the soup before adding the apples. For a smoother soup, blend it all after the apples are cooked. Don't blend the spinach – leave it in pieces! If you're watching your sodium intake, use low-sodium broth or omit the salt and add it to your taste at the end.
• Feel free to experiment with different types of apples. Granny Smith apples will give a nice tartness to your soup, while Honeycrisp apples will make it a bit sweeter.
• If you don't have fresh ginger, you can use about 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger instead, though fresh ginger has a more delightful flavour and stronger taste!
• If you want a spicier soup, add a pinch more of red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper. Don't add too much, otherwise it will be too spicy!