Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. green lentils
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. fresh thyme
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
4 c. baby spinach
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
Preparation
Step 1To an Instant Pot, add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, lentils, and tomatoes. Add thyme and Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper. Pour broth over and stir to combine. Set Instant Pot to Manual, High and set for 18 minutes. Once finished, set valve to quick release. Step 2Remove lid and stir in spinach. Serve with Parmesan.
How do I make soup in my Instant Pot? Instant Pots are amazing for soup. You simply add ingredients, set your Instant Pot to high, and press go! Soups are done in less than 20 minutes. Will the flavors taste the same? Yes—but any time you make soup if you first sauté your aromatics (onion, celery, garlic, etc) before adding your broth and other ingredients, it helps build flavor. The whole point of the Instant Pot is, well, that the soup is done in an instant, so we skip flavor building here :) What goes into lentil soup? We love lentil soup for its versatility. We add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic as a base, plus canned tomatoes and fresh thyme. Lentil soup of course also needs lentils. The 18 minute wait is the time the lentils take to cook. Can I make vegetarian lentil soup? Of course. Swap in vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Do other greens besides spinach work? Absolutely. Once the lentils are tender, remove the lid of the Instant Pot and stir in whatever leafy greens you like—kale, Swiss chard, arugula, even mustard greens (our favorite for their spicy taste) and stir until wilted.
Have you tried this yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
