Cookin' Canuck - Hearty Lentil & Black Bean Soup with Smoked Paprika Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How many calories are in lentil and bean soup? ›

So hearty, healthy and easy with just 213 calories per serving!

If you happen to run out of the legume when making a hearty lentil soup, split peas are the next best thing. With both lentils and split peas coming from the legume family, they can be used almost interchangeably. Although they look alike, they're grown and cultivated in different ways.

Lentil stew: You can substitute chickpeas, black beans, or kidney beans for the lentils in lentil stew. Lentil salad: You can substitute black beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans for the lentils in lentil salad.

All types of lentils can usually be used interchangeably, although they may not have quite the same texture or, of course, colour. Orange, red and green lentils will turn mushier than puy lentils, which hold their shape and keep their texture well.

Eating more lentils may help people maintain a healthy weight or lose weight. Replacing energy-dense (or high calorie) foods with legumes such as lentils can help people prevent or manage obesity and lose weight. Research suggests that regularly eating lentils may help with the management and prevention of diabetes.

However, it's worth bearing in mind – if you are planning on eating lentils every day – that the fibre they contain can be difficult to break down and can potentially cause gas and cramping if you eat too much of it.

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

Not adding any aromatics to the pot.

Add aromatics to the water or, even better, use chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. Follow this tip: Add a few cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, a spring of rosemary, half of an onion, or a combination of these aromatics to the cooking water or stock to help flavor the lentils.

Do you cook lentils before adding to soup? Nope! Dried lentils cook in 35 minutes in the soup, and there's no need to soak them either!

Cumin seeds or ground cumin helps with digestion and is perfect in a soup, curry or dal (lentil dish). Carom seeds, fennel seeds, turmeric and peppermint are other great digestive aids. Cooking beans with a large strip of dried kombu, a Japanese dried kelp, may minimise their gas-producing properties too.

Are lentils better for you than potatoes? ›

Lentils can also help reduce blood sugar. In a study that included 48 healthy adults, replacing half of the carbs from rice or potatoes with carbs from cooked lentils at a meal led to significant decreases in post-meal blood sugars compared with eating rice or potatoes alone (12).

In terms of overall nutrient density and health benefits, lentils are often considered one of the healthiest beans. Lentils are a good source of plant-based protein, fiber, and several essential vitamins and minerals, including iron, folate, and potassium.

Black Lentils (Beluga lentils)

Best of all, black lentils are the most nutritious variety of lentils, boasting the highest amount of protein, plus high levels of calcium, potassium, and iron.

Red lentils are the fastest cooking and they dissolve as they cook and make for a smooth soup. Others, such as green and brown lentils, hold their shape and make a soup with more texture.

Black Beluga lentils have the most flavor, adding a rich, earthy taste and a firm texture that holds up well during cooking. Black lentils will be ready in 20–25 minutes; however, they will fall apart like their brown, green, and red partners once you cook them for too long.

Lentil soup, homemade (1 cup) contains 24.4g total carbs, 17.2g net carbs, 4.6g fat, 10g protein, and 173 calories.

Polyphenols are active compounds that fight against harmful agents in the body—everything from ultraviolet rays and radiation to heart disease and cancer. Lentils are a great way to get your polyphenol fix and have been linked to long lasting health benefits, including cardiovascular health and diabetes prevention. 2.

Nutrition summary:

There are 372 calories in 2 cups of Lentil Soup. Calorie breakdown: 22% fat, 56% carbs, 22% protein.

Whether brown, green, yellow, red, or black, lentils are low in calories, rich in iron and folate, and an excellent source of protein. They pack health-promoting polyphenols and may reduce several heart disease risk factors.