French Lentil and Spinach Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 large or 2 smaller carrots, finely diced
• 1 small fennel bulb, finely diced (or 1 large celery stalk)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard (I used stone-ground)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 cups French green lentils de Puy, optionally soaked for 12-24 hours (with a pinch of baking soda or salt)
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 – 8 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock or water (I used my homemade chicken, or bone broth)
• salt and black pepper
• 4-6 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves, or other greens, washed
• parmesan, for serving

French Lentil and Spinach Soup Directions

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over a medium flame until is shimmers. Add the onion, carrot, and fennel (or celery), and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute, being careful not to let it burn. Add the mustard and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until it forms a film on the bottom of the pan, 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the red wine, scrape up all the good stuff from the bottom of the pan, and let the mixture simmer until slightly thickened, 2 minutes. Drain the lentils if soaked, and add them to the pot along with the bay leaf and stock or broth (use the smaller amount if the lentils have been soaked). Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt (less if your stock is salted) and continue to cook, covered, until the lentils are very tender, about 10 minutes. Green lentils hold their shape well, so if you see some beginning to fall apart, the soup is probably done.
4. Stir in the spinach leaves and simmer until wilted, 1-2 minutes. Or, if you’re not serving all of the soup right away, save the spinach leaves and add them as you heat up individual portions of soup. This soup can also be frozen.