Dishing Up the Dirt

Garlicky Leek & Artichoke Soup with Crunchy Roasted Lentils

The weather has quickly turned from sunny and warm to cold and rainy here at Tumbleweed Farm. Working out in the fields in crappy weather is less than ideal and we’ve been craving warm and comforting food once again.

This soup was a highlight after a long and wet afternoon in the fields. It’s creamy, rich and warms you from the inside out. The crunchy lentil topping is a lovely addition and should not be skipped! I’ve been roasting up big batches of cooked lentils to sprinkle on salads, hummus, avocado toast and now this soup. If you haven’t tried roasted lentils yet you’re in for a treat.

I was inspired to make this soup after seeing it posted on Vegetarian Times. We had a couple of jars of artichoke hearts waiting to be used and this seemed like the perfect dish. The original recipe calls for topping the soup with a dollop of fresh pesto-which I imagine would be lovely. However, we didn’t have any pesto prepared so the crunchy lentils and fresh micro greens did the trick. Other than the toppings I followed the original recipe to a T (which I rarely do).  I’m glad I did because it was perfect as written.

If you’re an artichoke lover then I think you’ll adore this soup. It’s simple to prepare and tastes great with a simple arugula salad and a glass of your favorite wine. Grab a spoon!

Garlicky Leek & Artichoke Soup with Crunchy Lentils

Prep Time: 10 minutes    Cook Time: 30 minutes    Serves: 4-6

Soup
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 medium-large leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 9 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water + more to thin if necessary
  •  2 9oz jars water packed artichoke hearts, well rinsed and drained (2 cups) OR 1 10oz bag frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
  • 2 medium boiling potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes (3/4 cup)
  • 6 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • micro greens for topping
Crunchy Lentils 
  • 1 cup cooked green lentils
  • 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation

  1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the leeks are soft and translucent. Add broth, water, artichokes, potatoes and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, partially cover the pan and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
  2. While the soup simmers prepare the crunchy lentils. Preheat the oven to 400F. In a small bowl toss the lentils with the oil and spices. Place in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until lightly browned and crisp. About 20-23 minutes. Toss the lentils at least once or twice throughout cooking and keep a close eye on them for the final 5 minutes.
  3. Remove thyme sprigs, and strip remaining thyme leaves into the soup pot. With an immersion blender (or carefully in batches use a regular blender) puree the soup until smooth and creamy. If the soup is too thick add a little more water as needed. Stir in lemon juice and crushed red pepper flakes. Taste test and adjust seasonings if need be.
  4. Ladle soup into bowls and top each bowl with crunchy lentils and micro greens.

Notes

*This soup is adapted from Vegetarian Times *Store extra lentil croutons in a zip log bag *Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary *Have fun in the kitchen


Leave a Reply

19 thoughts on “Garlicky Leek & Artichoke Soup with Crunchy Roasted Lentils

  1. I love the idea of those lentil ‘croutons’!

    1. Andrea says:

      Sue, they are the best!!! Give them a whirl! xo

  2. Karolyn says:

    Yes!!! Can’t wait to try this!!

    1. Andrea says:

      I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

  3. Aquasan says:

    amazing looking dish

  4. This soup looks amazingly delicious. Loved those cute lentil ‘croutons’ on top! 🙂

    1. Andrea says:

      The lentil croutons are really lovely. I hope you give them a whirl!

  5. Caitlin says:

    This sounds delicious! I love artichokes. My mom used to make Artichoke + Provolone Soup–using potatoes instead of cream sounds like a great alternative way to make it creamy.

    1. Andrea says:

      Potatoes are such a lovely alternative to cream in soups. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

  6. Julia says:

    This definitely looks like the perfect meal to warm your body and soul after a long, wet, hard day on the farm. So healthful and comforting! Love them artichokes and leeks. Hope you had a great weekend, lady! xo

  7. cheyanne says:

    It is hot, humid, and pretty much summer already here in FL; but despite that fact, I could tuck into a bowl of this delicious garlic, leek, artichoke soup with lentils in a heart beat! This looks absolutely wonderfully delicious. I will most definately be making this soon! Cheers and thanks for sharing!!

    1. Andrea says:

      haha! I hope you enjoy this with a glass of crisp white wine to cool you down while you enjoy the warm soup. Thanks for the lovely comment!

  8. Trish says:

    Ooooooooh this soup sounds like a dream right now! So much rain here in Olympia, WA this weekend. Can’t wait for the sunshine to come back around!

  9. Caroline says:

    Looks beautiful, as always, Andrea! I do have a culinary question for you! Why the ratio of water to vegetable broth? Really just curious. I tend to do all one or the other, and never really gave much thought into why. Sodium, flavor, cooking process, cost savings? Enlighten me! Would love to make this dish soon.

    1. Andrea says:

      Caroline that is a great question! I followed this recipe from Vegetarian Times and after doing a little research myself (because like you, I usually use all water or all broth) found that a lot of recipes call for using both for a few reasons. Sodium being one of the them and also too much stock can interfere with the flavors of the herbs and vegetables in the dish. I imagine this would taste totally fine using all water or all stock. If you use all water I would increase the salt to taste. Anyhow, I hope that was helpful!!! Thanks for reading along.

  10. Lois says:

    Andrea, you never seize to amaze me! I look for your newsletter each day wondering what little lovely you will be sending. And then I a walloped by your photography – wonderful. Then the recipe – well = what can I say? I must make this soup. If hubby won’t eat it – then I can have the whole pot!
    Thank you so very much for your wonderful creativity and presentations, or maybe better put, “food styling!”

    1. Andrea says:

      Thank you for such a lovely comment! It means a lot. xoxo

  11. Jennifer says:

    This was so good that there were no left overs!

  12. Chris says:

    This is my new favourite soup! It’s February and I just started getting bored of all the squash and sweet potato based soups so this recipe is just what I needed! 🙂 thanks again Andrea!! Xxx

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