Spring Lentil Wild Rice Soup

Spring may be technically here, but it was snowing most of the day today, so I am still into warming hearty soups at the moment. It's the perfect weather lately for staying inside, being cozy and cooking something delicious!  Like this Spring Lentil Wild Rice Soup I recently made!  It was so good I had to share the recipe!

I love wild rice in soups, it is so hearty and earthy and delicious!  I think it is perfect paired with lentils like in this soup, and they both add fiber and protein!  For the veggies, I added celery, onions and garlic to to start.  These are the main 3 vegetables I like to always add to my soups because they give it a good flavor base.  I don't normally have vegetable broth on hand so I rely a lot on the vegetables I put into my soups for flavor.

Since this is a Spring soup, I added asparagus, greens and crimini mushrooms.  This combination is so delicious in soup, and it is the perfect time of the year to enjoy asparagus!  I also added miso, tamari and nutritional yeast into the base of this soup to give it a delicious savory flavor!  The instructions for this soup are to make it on the stove, but you can also make it in the Instant Pot if you prefer that.  Just cook the wild rice separately but add everything else to the Instant Pot except the asparagus, miso, and greens.  Cook it in soup mode on the Instant Pot, and at the end, as soon as it finishes cooking add in the asparagus, miso, wild rice and greens.

This soup was so delicious!  I served it with some crusty bread and it was a wonderful hearty meal for a chilly day!  If you are in the mood for something warming and delicious but still spring appropriate, definitely give this Spring Lentil Wild Rice Soup a try!

Spring Lentil Wild Rice Soup
Serves2-3

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup uncooked wild rice
• 2 1/2 cups filtered water
• 4 large celery stalks, sliced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/3 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2/3 cup French lentils
• 2 cups filtered water
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp tamari
• 1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp white miso whisked into 1 Tbsp water
• 1 large handful greens

Directions:

1. Place the wild rice in a pot, cover with filtered water by at least 3 inches and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook until the rice has "bloomed", about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes depending on your rice. Drain the rice and set aside.
2. Combine the 2 1/2 cups filtered water, nutritional yeast, tamari, celery, onion, garlic, mushrooms, sea salt, thyme, and lentils in a pot and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and cook for about 40-45 minutes until the lentils have are tender.  Add the asparagus and cook a few minutes until bright green. Stir in the wild rice.  Add the nutritional yeast, miso mixture and greens cook until greens have wilted.
3. Serve!