Classic beef and vegetable soup is filling but light on protein. A cup of green lentils simmered in with lean ground beef pushes this version to 35g per serving.
It is a single pot in 40 minutes, and the lentils thicken the broth as they cook so it holds up as a real dinner instead of a starter.
Cook the tomato paste with the aromatics for a full minute until it darkens and sticks to the pot. That step builds the savory backbone the broth is missing if you just stir it into liquid.
Save this recipe for later — pin it to your soup board.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking it up, until browned. Drain off excess fat if needed.
Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot with the beef and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, thyme, and smoked paprika and cook 1 minute until the paste darkens.
Add lentils, diced tomatoes, beef broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until the lentils are nearly tender.
Stir in the green beans and Worcestershire sauce and simmer 6-8 minutes more, until the vegetables and lentils are fully tender. Remove the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, and serve with parsley.
Lean ground beef and green lentils together bring a serving to about 35g of protein. The lentils also add fiber and body, so the soup fills you up on a moderate calorie count.
Yes, 93% lean ground turkey swaps in directly with almost the same protein. Add an extra teaspoon of smoked paprika and the full tablespoon of Worcestershire, since turkey brings less savory depth than beef.
Twenty minutes of simmering turns green beans and zucchini gray and soft. Adding them in the last 6-8 minutes keeps some bite and color in the finished pot.
Yes, it freezes for up to 3 months and the flavor deepens after a day. It thickens in the fridge as the lentils absorb broth, so loosen it with water or broth when reheating.