Let me tell you a little bit about how this soup saved my life.
Well, that’s being a bit dramatic I guess, but at the time, it truly was a lifesaver.
It was about 4 years ago. I had just given birth to my first baby girl, Zoe. She was a tiny little peanut, with an itty bitty cry, and the strength of a warrior. After about a week and a half of being home, I hit that wall as many first time parents do. I was EXHAUSTED. I was not one of those people who “loved the newborn phase”. I wish I was. I was just so damn tired.
We ended up hiring some part time help for a couple of weeks. This angel woman (who came from a recommendation), swooped into my house, got Zoe to sleep, and took care of me unlike I’ve ever been taken care of before. She made me nap, helped me with feeding, swaddling, bathing, you know, all the new stuff.
And she made me this soup.
You guys. I can’t even begin to tell you how this soup saved me. I was drowning, and this soup brought me back to life. I know, it sounds crazy. But it was just perfect. The timing and everything.
I’ve changed it up just a bit, to give it my own twist, but it’s packed with good for you, feel good foods. And of course, I had to top it with these garlic toasted breadcrumbs because they are everything!
So if you need a little pick me up, or just want a little taste of heaven, make this super easy, joyful, warm your heart soup.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, grated (about 1 cup)
- 1 small zucchini, grated (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 5 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- 1/2 cup quick cook farro (I use the 10 minute farro from Trader Joes)
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 1 cup chopped kale, stems removed
- 6-8 slices of french baguette, cubed
- 1 clove garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt
- 1) Heat the oil in a medium sized pot over medium/high heat. Add the onion, zucchini and carrots and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, turmeric, and cumin and cook for 2-3 more minutes. You should start to smell the spices toasting.
- 2) Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling add the farro and lentils and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes or until lentils and farro are cooked through.
- 3) Meanwhile, make the breadcrumbs. Add the bread and garlic into a food processor. Pulse until the bread is in small crumbs. Pour onto a baking sheet and toss with a little bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown.
- 4) In the last couple of minutes of the soup cooking, add the chopped kale and stir until wilted. Serve immediately and top with the toasted breadcrumbs.
It’s like a hug in a bowl.
Lisa Rose says
I made this soup today as my tummy hasn’t been that great the last few days and oh.em.gee! Was it exactly as you described…a hug in a bowl???? My daughter who is. Very picky eater had 2 servings lol The only change was thT I made my breadcrumbs with what I had ok hand: 3 slices of spelt bread, cubed, smashed 2 garlic cloves, a little Evoo and ghee and threw it all in a gallon size ziploc bag, shook it up and baked at 450 until golden brown. I’ll be eating this again today and will make it again for sure! thank you so much for sharing!
Life is but a Dish says
I’m SO happy you liked this soup! Isn’t it just the best!?! Love your variation with the bread crumbs too 🙂
Natalie Mines says
My family loved this soup. I loved that it had zucchini in it and my son, who hates zucchini, had no clue! But gave it a thumbs up.
Life is but a Dish says
I’m so glad you and your family loved it! It’s hands down my favorite feel good soup of all time!
Patricia da Costa says
Busy day running the kids to violin and softball. Came home and quickly made this delicious soup! Just what we needed at the end of busy day. Everybody loved it. The kids are taking the left overs (I doubled the recipe) for lunch tomorrow.
Life is but a Dish says
I’m SO happy everyone loved it!! Yes, doubling is the way to go!!
Lindsay Jarrett says
This is my favorite easy and quick soup! So warming, and the spices make such a yummy broth.
Since I’m a sucker for cheese, I love putting a little feta on top instead of breadcrumbs. A little salty goodness.
Life is but a Dish says
Sounds delish!! SO glad you love it.
JoDi says
This soup is so good! I used quinoa instead of farro since it’s what I had, and I used about 4 cups of chopped kale just because I love it, and it was delish! Thanks for the great recipe. I’ll be taking this to work for lunch all week. Yum!
Life is but a Dish says
Oh yay!! Love the substitutions you made also! So happy you loved it 🙂
Vina says
So I don’t have the quick cook farro on hand. How much longer would you cook the soup with just the regular farro?
Life is but a Dish says
I think regular farro takes about 30-40 minutes? So might need to simmer about that long until it’s cooked through.
Cindy Tanner says
Outstanding! Followed your recipe to the letter. I will be making this soup on a regular basis. So delicious and healthy. Thanks for the great recipe!
Life is but a Dish says
I’m so glad! It’s one of my favorites as well!
Cecilia says
My husband is a diabetic so he has to have proten what suggestion I was thinking kalabasa in it, what do u think? Sounds delish.
Life is but a Dish says
Absolutely! I’ve also had people add shrimp and it’s great
Kate H says
I knew the instant I read this one that it would be a winner and a keeper. I was so convinced I made a triple batch right away (vegie caveat: I didn’t want the onion to overpower the other flavors, so for my batch I used 3c zucchini, 3c carrots, and 1-1/2c onion ). This recipe is fantastic!
I used regular farro and put it on to cook (with vegetable broth) in a separate pan while I was getting the rest of the soup ready, then added it with the red lentils per the recipe instructions, worked perfectly.
Life is but a Dish says
Im so happy you loved this! It’s one of my all time faves!
Emma Atkinson says
I love this soup, I made it with Quinoa as I couldn’t find any Farro in my local supermarket but it was really tasty, thanks for the recipe.
Life is but a Dish says
Oh I love that swap! So glad you liked it!