Lentil and Spinach Soup with Roasted Red Pepper and Pomegranate Molasses
Lentil and Spinach Soup with Roasted Red Pepper and Pomegranate Molasses might be just the main course you are searching for. This recipe covers 24% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. Watching your figure? This gluten free and dairy free recipe has 213 calories, 13g of protein, and 3g of fat per serving. This recipe serves 8. It will be a hit at your Autumn event. Head to the store and pick up extravirgin olive oil, lentils, less-sodium beef broth, and a few other things to make it today. To use up the cinnamon stick you could follow this main course with the Cinnamon Ice Cream with Cinnamon Crisps as a dessert.
Instructions
Place first 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Set lentils aside.
Place the eggplant, onion, and thyme in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
Drizzle with oil; toss to coat.
Bake at 450 for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Stir in 1 cup broth; bake 10 minutes. Discard thyme; add eggplant mixture to lentils.
Stir in remaining 3 cups broth and parsley; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
Add spinach; stir gently until spinach wilts. Stir in salt and pepper. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; drizzle each serving with 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses, and top with about 1 tablespoon roasted red bell pepper.
Wine Note: One wine works well with the earthy, bitter, and sweet flavors in this soup: pinot noir. Good pinot noir demonstrates an earthiness of its own, plus an attractive bitterness and a "sweet spot" of cherry-pomegranate fruitiness. Try Pedroncelli "F. Johnson Vineyard" 2003 from Sonoma County, California ($15). -Karen MacNeil