Why, oh why, oh why am I adding new SOUP recipes in April?! For God’s sake…Enough with this wet, dreary weather, right?!!
We finally got away this winter, kids and all, on a much too short two week vacation in search of sun and warmth..to Hawaii…I remember asking some friends last year if booking this trip to a warm destination near the END of February was kind of silly. I mean after all, it would almost be March and March is supposed to be warmer, brighter, better right? Why would I waste our hard earned vacation money if the weather was already improving here.
Needless to say, that was a dumb thought. Now it’s April and not only is it STILL grey and dreary and raining and raining and raining some more…now I have the frickin’ sniffles. Yes, 2 or 3 days after symbolically returning the Vitamin C and Zinc tabs back up to the highest cupboard (they won’t be needed until next year right?) and I wake up with a sore throat. Which means..someone’s making me soup (Ok..Let’s get real. No one’s making me soup except well..me).
And yes, I realize that if these are my biggest problems, life is actually pretty good:)
So here it is. Delicious, satisfying soup for the sniffles (the literal and whingy sniffles;)
I’m not usually a huge fan of tomato based anything but I was inspired by a very omnivorous, slow cooker recipe that I happened to peruse in our local paper. Here’s my veganized, flavorful, easy to make Instant Pot version. It’s delicious! Enjoy!
Set up your Instant Pot and with the lid off, hit the saute button. Once hot add your oil (optional) and allow it to heat. Saute your onions and fennel for about 2 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Add your pressed garlic, cumin and coriander and cook for another minute until fragrant. Add your chopped carrots, sweet potato and dried red lentils. Stir well to combine. Add your crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth and stir well. Put the lid on your Instant Pot, lock into place and using the ‘Soup’ button set it for 6 minutes.
Once done allow it to naturally release pressure for about 10 minutes and then vent it to release any remaining steam. Once the pressure is fully released, turn off the instant pot and remove the lid.
Add 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 2 tbsp of brown sugar (this is necessary to decrease the acidity of the tomatoes), and the 1/2 cup chopped parsley. Stir well to combine.
Let this soup sit for a couple of hours to allow the flavors to blend. Refrigerate until later or reheat to serve. Serve with a crusty roll and a side salad. It is well worth the wait:)
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- 1 tbsp oil (optional)
- 2 onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 fennel bulb, chopped (cut and remove small core first)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
- 1½ cups carrots (chopped into larger bite sized pieces)
- 2½ cups (chopped into larger bite sized pieces) orange sweet potatoes
- 1 cup of dried red lentils
- 1 28 oz (798 ml) can of crushed tomatoes
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black ground pepper
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- Set up your instant pot and with the lid off, hit the saute button.
- Once hot add your oil (optional) and allow it to heat.
- Saute your onions and fennel for about 2 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
- Add your pressed garlic, cumin and coriander and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Add your chopped carrots, sweet potato and dried red lentils. Stir well to combine.
- Add your crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth and stir well.
- Put the lid on your Instant Pot, lock into place and using the 'Soup' button set it for 6 minutes.
- Once done allow it to naturally release pressure for about 10 minutes and the vent it to release any remaining steam.
- Once pressure is released, turn off the instant pot and remove the lid.
- Add 1½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, 2 tbsp of brown sugar (this is necessary to decrease the acidity of the tomatoes), and the ½ cup chopped parsley. Stir well to combine.
- Allow the soup time to sit for a couple of hours to allow the flavours to blend.
- Refrigerate until later or reheat to serve.
The soup is very good!!
Thanks! Glad you liked it!