It’s not the prettiest picture, but for the amount of effort this soup requires, the return on time invested is huge. I found the original dish in Celia Brooks Brown’s New Vegetarian, but I can never leave a recipe well enough alone. (Why just a cup of coconut milk? Use the whole can. Whoa, a bit too much cumin; I cut it in half here).  The lovely thing is that you don’t even sauté the aromatics, just throw the whole thing together once you’ve pre-cooked the lentils. Ridiculously easy, so tasty and super healthy.

1 cup French Puy lentils

4 cups vegetable stock

1 onion chopped

2 – 3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon cumin

1 can light coconut milk

2 – 3 tablespoons soy sauce

4 small handfuls of baby spinach

salt and pepper

Rinse the lentils. Put in medium saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Simmer for 10 minutes (if water gets low, add a bit more), then add all the remaining ingredients except spinach. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 – 25 minutes until the lentils are tender.

Put a small handful of  spinach in 4 bowls and ladle the hot soup on top. The heat from the soup will wilt the leaves.

tags: make ahead recipe, best recipe, soup recipe, lentil soup, coconut soup