Slow Carb Beef and Lentil Soup
Yesterday I found myself with a lot of beef that needed to be cooked ASAP and wanted to make some sort of “one pot” meal that works for the Slow Carb diet. This recipe, from Giada De Laurentiis and the Food Network, covered all the bases.
Beef and Lentil Soup
I hesitated to post this recipe because it’s not my normal style of food, and I actually didn’t love it (despite hundreds of 5 Star reviews on the Food Network and a few friend telling me it was tasty), but I think it would appeal to a lot of people and so it’ll be included. This is a heavy, hearty, stick to your ribs kind of stew, perfect for a cold winter night.
I made the soup last night, and needed to cook the lentils much longer than the recommended 40 minutes. This caused the stock to reduce quite a bit so the end result was a bit more like a stew than a soup.
Below is the original recipe. I’d recommend doubling the spices and adding a bay leaf and some extra garlic. Because the veggies included aren’t very nutritionally dense, I would also advise adding spinach.
To save time you can use canned lentils or cook the lentils in a separate pot while you are cooking the meat.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 large celery stalks, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 6 (14-ounce) cans beef broth
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
- 2 cups (about 11 ounces) lentils, rinsed
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Directions
1. Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Add half of the beef and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef.
2. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, rosemary, and oregano to the pot. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
3. Return the beef and any accumulated juices from the bowl to the pot. Add the broth and tomatoes with their juice. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the meat is just tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.
4. Add the lentils. Cover and continue simmering until the lentils are tender, about 60 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
Continue reading here: Alternative 3-minute Slow Carb Breakfast
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