Dash Diet Lentil Recipes

We all need a few great one-pot recipes for no-fuss weeknight meals. Something you can just toss together, but is also healthy, hearty, and filling. This simple lentil soup with sausage ticks those boxes and more. In fact, it comes in a close second to a good pot of ham and beans on my scale of comfort food goodness.

This recipe is not only simple to make and pretty quick to throw together, but it’s also DASH diet-friendly, which is something that we need to focus on this year. It’s also chock-full of veggies and goodness, which makes it a completely guilt-free meal.

(And yes, you can skip the sausage if you want to go vegetarian, but it does add a lot to the flavor.)

Fresh And Healthy Dash Diet Cooking

Just like any other soup, you can make lentil soup with whatever you happen to have on-hand. I rummaged around and found some celery, an onion, a sort-of janky carrot and some breakfast sausage in the fridge. this makes for a solid soup base to go with our lentils, so we’re off.

First, we chop our veggies. No fancy technique needed here, guys. This is a rough chop. Just hack those veggies down into bite-sized pieces and you’re golden.

Brown up that sausage in a bit of olive oil and then drain if necessary. (The sausage we get has very little fat, so I didn’t need to drain it, but this may not be the case for you.)

Why The Dash Diet Is Good For Pcos

Note the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. This is where a lot of the flavor comes from, and we’ll be getting to that in just a second.

Toss in all your veggies and give everything a little sprinkle of salt. Stir this around occasionally until your veggies start to sweat a bit, and scrape the bottom of the pan with your spoon or spatula.

Once everything is hot and steamy, and all the brown bits have been scraped up off the bottom of the pot, we’re ready to move on.

Vegetarian Lentil Soup Recipe

Toss in the turmeric and garlic and stir to coat. Add in your lentils and stock or water. Then bring to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer away for a while.

After about 35 minutes, check to see if your lentils are done to your liking. Give the soup a taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. That’s it. Done. I told you this was simple!

And there you have it, guys. Dish your soup up into a bowl, garnish with a little celery leaf if your heart desires (or if you’re taking pictures like I was), and dig in! I promise this will make you and your family very happy.

Healing Curry Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

And if you make a double or triple batch, this soup freezes extremely well. so pop it into some single-serving containers for later in the week. You’ll be glad you did.

A rich and wholesome soup doesn't have to be daunting. This lentil soup recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner or a lazy Sunday afternoon binge-watching session. Enjoy with a bit of crusty bread and your favorite beverage.

I definitely would have added bay leaves to this lentil soup if I could have found them. It would have made the broth much richer in flavor, but all-in-all This was still outstanding.

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

If you want something even richer and more filling, feel free to toss in some potatoes, sweet potatoes or squash about 20 minutes before your soup is done. A half-cup of rice would add a little more heft to the soup as well.

Want a touch more flavor? Add a bit of curry powder, or maybe a dash of hot sauce or red pepper flakes for some zing.

So what are your opinions, guys? Is this lentil soup perfect the way it is, or can you think of something you just HAVE to add to the recipe for your family table?

Middle Eastern Lentils And Rice

Either way, we’d love to hear your opinions. So please feel free to leave a comment below. And if you try this recipe, be sure to rate it! The recipe ratings help us decide what we’ve done right so we know what to make next.

Also, be sure to check us out on all the social sites. Just do a quick search for or click on the social media icons at the top of the site. You’ll find us there.Many people strive to lose weight, start exercising, and look to dietary changes when they receive their first high blood pressure diagnosis.  High blood pressure damages arterial walls, may lead to heart attack or stroke and can damage the kidneys.  Dubbed the silent killer, it rarely causes symptoms.

Before age 45, men are more likely to have high blood pressure.  However, most people eventually develop blood pressure issues with age.  Additionally, African Americans are more likely to get high blood pressure at earlier ages.  While sex, age, and race are all risk factors, almost 60% of people with diabetes also experience high blood pressure.  Also, overweight individuals experience increased disadvantage.

What's The Dash Diet?

Of course, you cannot alter the essence of who you are.  You cannot change your race or your sex.  And, medical science hasn’t discovered how to reverse aging, so getting younger remains in the realms of my favorite sci-fi and fantasy movies.  There are steps you can take to reduce your risk.

Several years ago, I was on high blood pressure medication.  Simply by changing my diet, losing weight, and increasing exercise, I no longer need that medicine.  My blood pressure still runs in the pre-hypertensive range and bare watching.  So I work to maintain my healthy lifestyle habits.

Usually, I am not a fan of prescribed diets.  I prefer to eat what I want in reasonable portions and make my own healthy food choices.  However, I do like the DASH diet.

The Big Dash Diet Cookbook For Beginners: Low Sodium Recipes And 4 Weeks Meal Plan To Improve Your Health: Bullard, Stephanie: 9798414283423: Amazon.com: Books

DASH, an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is a diet designed to teach you how to eat for improved heart health.  The American Heart Association endorses The DASH diet.  It limits sweets and sugary treats, tropical oils, red meats, sodium, and trans-fats.  While the American Heart Association offers an informative, downloadable PDF further expounding on the DASH diet, I also received a DASH diet cookbook you may like.

The DASH Diet for Beginners by Sam Kuma (available on Amazon) offers a 2-week meal plan offering complete meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even desserts!  While you can follow the book’s meal plans, the book also organizes the recipes by meal-type (i.e., soups, breakfast, etc.).

Do not expect elaborate recipes that take an hour to prepare.  Most of these recipes come together quickly and easily.  Like the title says, it’s a beginner’s cookbook.   It’s an easy-to-follow guide to get you started on the DASH diet.

Middle Eastern Coconut & Veggie Lentil Soup Recipe

The Red Lentil Stew recipe below comes straight from the book, with a few simple modifications to fit our tastes.  The author called for kale.  I meant to substitute spinach (but completely forgot it.  OOPS!).  Just stir in 1 cup of baby spinach at cook-time end if you desire.  He called for vegetable broth.  So you have greater control over sodium content, I suggest making your own homemade broth. It’s easy and free.  To keep the recipe DASH diet-friendly, be sure to use low-sodium canned tomatoes.

This delicious Red Lentil Stew recipe is a comfort food recipe that follows the DASH diet guidelines. It's vegan, low-sodium, and nutritious.

It's a hearty meal destined to rank as one of your favorite comfort foods. Add a handful of spinach at the end of cooking if you like. A handful of fresh basil also rounds out the flavor profile well.

Dash Diet Recipes For Every Meal Of The Day

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2, 000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Happily married to the love of my life. It's just us, our 5 cats, and our beautiful woods. I'm loving living back in the Florida panhandle being close to family. I love cooking, living a healthy lifestyle, taking care of our cozy home, and trying new things.

We enjoy hosting parties and my husband and I are both avid gamers. You can find me on PS4 as SunshineFlaGirl. We also play tabletop RPGs and eurogames.

Dash Diet Recipes For Beginners