Moroccan-Spiced Lentil & Veggie Stew

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Our's was super relaxing, and we followed up a four-day stint on the Cape with a short brewery crawl in Vermont (our first stop was documented here). It was a lot of fun, but I was happy to be home Sunday night.

And what better way to welcome ourselves back home than with a big pot of healthy soup? I was in the mood for something warm and nutritious - but also full of flavor - and that's how this soup was born. Full of warming spices, hearty lentils, and nutritious vegetables, I am beyond thankful that we have so much leftover. This soup will also freeze well, so our leftovers should last us all winter long.

Moroccan-Spiced Lentil & Veggie Stew

Yields: 8-10 servings

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1/2 large yellow onion, diced
-4 medium carrots, chopped
-1 clove garlic, minced
-Cinnamon (about 1 teaspoon)
-Turmeric (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
-Cumin (about 1 tablespoon)
-Ground coriander (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
-Pinch of cayenne pepper
-Salt and pepper
-1 box (32 ounces) low-sodium vegetable broth
-1 1/2 cups water*
-5 white button mushrooms, sliced
-1 3/4 cups lentils
-1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
-2 cups frozen spinach, thawed
-1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Directions:

1.) Heat oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat; add onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. 

2.) Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add spices, and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3.) Add broth, water, mushrooms, lentils, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally for about 35-40 minutes. 

4.) Stir in spinach and peas and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until spinach and peas are cooked and lentils are tender.

*You may need to add more water as the soup cooks/thickens, and especially when you reheat the soup the next day. Just add enough water to achieve your desired consistency.

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Warning: this soup is filling. We ate big bowls alongside some salad and rolls, and the soup alone would have been plenty. I highly recommend topping off your bowl with some hot sauce, too (if you're into that kind of thing).

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