Spinach & Bok Choy Soup
A delicious and nutrient packed spinach and bok choy soup recipe you will love.
Though bok choy is primarily used in Asian dishes, it is a delicious vegetable that can easily be used in all sorts of ways. I particularly love adding it to soups like this one, which sees it combined with spinach to provide a nutrient packed bowl of yumminess.
Prep for this soup does have to begin in advance with the overnight soaking of the dried lentils. Lentils will not only add fibre, they help to thicken this soup after blending.
When cooking bok choy for this soup, the white part of the stems need to start the cooking process before the leaves. So, when you're chopping it up, keep that in mind and separate them.
This soup recipe freezes wonderfully. My favourite way is to use 1-cup silicone cube trays. This way when I want a bowl, I just take a cube from the freezer and heat it up. This also means this is a great soup for meal prepping. Frozen it will last at least a month, though I have to admit, it never stays in my freezer for that long.
Ingredients
(Makes 4 servings)
1 teaspoon avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
1 small sweet onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups bok choy, chopped (separate white stems from leaves)
1 cup dried lentils, soaked and drained
2 cups baby spinach
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 sprig fresh thyme (optional garnish)
Directions
In a sealable container, soak the dried lentils overnight in water. When beginning preparation, rinse and drain the lentils then set aside.
In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil then add the onion and salt. Allow the onion to sauté for approximately 4 minutes before adding the remaining spices. Mix well.
To the onion and spices, add the white stem portions of the bok choy and continue sautéing, stirring regularly until the boy choy begins to soften (about 5 minutes).
Add the lentils and mix, then stir in the bok choy greens and spinach. when the greens start to wilt, add the vegetable stock, mix and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 15 minutes, stirring regularly.
Taste for seasoning and adjust with additional salt and black pepper if needed. Remove from heat and with an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth. Serve and garnish with fresh thyme (optional).
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
total calories = 226.5 | total fat = 2.13g | saturated fat = 0.37g | cholesterol = 0mg | sodium = 1,010.73mg | carbohydrates = 39.42g | dietary fibre = 7.12g | sugars = 5.82g | protein = 14.61g
