Black Beluga Lentil Soup

Archer Farms Black Beluga Lentils

Doug and I don’t usually shop for groceries at Target Super Stores, but we found ourselves wandering through their grocery aisles before the holidays making note of some rather interesting products. One such item was a pouch of black beluga lentils, already cooked, and according to the microwave instructions on the pouch, ready-to-eat in 90 seconds. We’d never encountered these before, so feeling adventurous, in our cart it went.

NOTE: Black beluga lentils are petite, black lentils which have a resemblance to beluga caviar. They’re perfect in soups and salads, and are a good source of protein and fiber.

At the beginning of the new year, I reorganized  my pantry and noticed the black beluga lentil pouch sitting there, begging to be used. 

It was a soup- kind- of- day, so I decided to make– you guessed it- Black Beluga Lentil Soup. Yield: about 5 to 6 servings

Here’s what I did:

·         finely chopped a small onion, minced a clove of garlic and  sautéed them in a wee-bit of olive oil in a 3-quart pot - until the onions softened.

·         poured in a 32-oz. box of low-sodium chicken broth.

·         added about 1 cup of frozen, chopped spinach, some seasonings, and let it all come to a boil.

·         reduced the heat, added the pouch of pre-cooked beluga lentils, partially covered the pot, and allowed the soup to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Served with a small salad, this made a perfect lunch. 

Just so you know:  the 2-serving pouch contained more than enough lentils for the soup recipe.

Would I buy Black Beluga Lentils again? Definitely!