How to cook lentil and meatball soup at home? Calorie content and cooking secrets. Step by step recipe with photo and video recipe.
Appetizing and delicious soup with lentils and meatballs is not only a good alternative to pea and bean soups, but also has another big plus. The soup cooks very quickly. It can be cooked in just 30-40 minutes and satisfyingly feed the whole family. However, lentils are not very popular among our population, but in vain. Indeed, in addition to the fact that this type of legume, consisting of easily digestible protein, is quickly prepared, it also contains calcium, iron, phosphorus and other useful substances.
Lentils go well with many foods, but traditionally bean soups are made with smoked meats. For the sake of variety, instead of smoked meats, I suggest making small minced meatballs. They can be prepared with any minced meat before cooking, or made in advance and frozen in the freezer. Using semi-finished products, the soup can be cooked even faster.
The ready-made lentil soup with meatballs is sure to please many. It turns out to be satisfying and at the same time light on the stomach. After it, there is no feeling of heaviness in the stomach. And if you add more cheese, then the dish will acquire a wonderful creamy taste.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 172 kcal.
- Servings - 4-5
- Cooking time - 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Meat or minced meat - 200 g
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Red lentils - 90 g
- Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
- Ground black pepper - pinch or to taste
- Parsley, dill - a few twigs
Step-by-step preparation of meatball and lentil soup:
1. Put the minced meat in a bowl and add salt, black pepper and your favorite spices. I use minced pork in this recipe, but you have the right to replace it with any other that suits your taste. For meatballs, both regular minced meat and mixed (beef with pork or veal and chicken) are suitable.
You can also cook the minced meat yourself from a whole piece of raw meat. To do this, pass it through a meat grinder 1-2 times. If desired, twisted onions and garlic, passed through a press, can be added to the minced meatballs.
2. Mix the minced meat well with your hands, passing between your fingers. Then beat it off about 10 times. This is necessary so that the meat releases gluten and the meatballs hold well and do not boil over. To do this, collect the minced meat into a lump, lift it with your hands up to 30 cm and throw it with force on a board or into a bowl to hear a slap. The minced meat acquires a uniform consistency and becomes a little viscous.
3. With wet hands, so that the minced meat does not stick, shape the meatballs. Their size can be different, both with the size of a cherry and a walnut.
4. Pour 1.5 liters of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Rinse the lentils, put them in boiling water and boil.
Lentils are of several types. For this soup recipe, I chose red lentils. It cooks faster and boils slightly. Yellow and black lentils are also instantly boiled. You can opt for brown or green lentils. But they take longer to cook, but retain their density. These types of lentils can be pre-soaked in cold water for several hours or overnight. Then the cooking time will be slightly reduced and the legume will be ready about 30 minutes after the broth boils. On my own behalf, I will say that the most beautiful and mouth-watering soup is made with red lentils.
5. Peel the carrots, cut into large cubes, rings or half rings and immediately send to the pan with lentils. If desired, you can fry the carrots in a skillet in heated vegetable or melted butter over medium heat. I do not fry, because I prefer lighter soups.
6. After boiling again, immediately place the meatballs in the pan. Stir gently so they don't stick together.
Season the soup with salt and black pepper. Add bay leaves and allspice peas if desired.
7. Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook the soup for about 15-20 minutes until all ingredients are cooked through.
8. Wash greens, chop finely and send to soup. Remove the pot from the heat immediately, but do not open the lid. Leave it to infuse for 10 minutes. Serve hot meatball and lentil soup with a spoonful of sour cream or cheese shavings in each serving.
Such a simple, healthy, low-fat and very tasty soup may well be recommended for baby and diet food. The proposed recipe for the first course can be supplemented with potatoes if you want a more satisfying dish. To do this, peel it, cut it into cubes and dip it into a saucepan along with the lentils.
