Cuban Style Lentil Soup with Baked Plantains and Lemon Crema
Feb 17, 2017, Updated Mar 07, 2025
A robust soup with plenty of vegetables and spiced up with traditional Cuban flavors. Garnished with a lemon-crema and irresistible baked plantains. Warming and healthy! Vegetarian and Gluten-Free.
Wonderful garnishes include:
Baked Plantain Cubes, Lemon Crema, Sliced Jalapeños, Cilantro Leaves and Roasted Spiked Chickpeas.
Use Sprouted Lentils – for easier digestibility!
Sprouted Lentils are easier to digest – increasing vitamins and micronutrients and activating digestive enzymes.
Sprouting breaks down the seed’s protective coating and helps to unlock its nutrients.
Lentils are a powerhouse of nutrition! A great source of fiber, lean protein (cooked lentils provide 18 grams of protein per cup), folate and iron.
Some people may experience flatulence and abdominal discomfort when initially adding legumes like lentils into their diet – so use the sprouted variety, or soak them.
I use Organic Tru Roots Sprouted Green Lentils
If using regular green lentils, cook until tender, add an additional 10 minutes to the cooking time.
Alternately – soaking lentils in plenty of cold water overnight can significantly reduce their phytate levels, helping to lower their potential for causing bloating. Not just “overnight” as many recipes call for, but for 1-3 days. The longer they are soaked the easier they are to digest – do so in very warm, filtered water.
Wonderful garnishes include:
Garnishes adds a layer of yum and complexity
– Oven Roasted Plantains (calories saved), Roasted Spiked Chickpeas, Lemon Crema, Sliced Jalapeños and Cilantro Leaves offer. Sweet, creamy, crunchy and spicy notes.
Cuban cuisine primarily peasant cuisine, and has been influenced by Spanish, French, African, Arabic, Chinese, and Portuguese cultures.
The ultimate Cuban recipe is “good food, good friends, good music… more good food.”
Enjoy this special soup,
Karen
Cuban Style Lentil Soup with Baked Plantains and Lemon Crema
Equipment
- 1 heavy soup pot
Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups onion, peeled, 1/3″ dice
- 2 medium ribs of celery, peeled, 1/3″ sliced
- 1 cup fresh carrots, peeled, 1/3″ dice
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 medium bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons seasoning – Karen’s Salt Free Sazón Cuban Seasoning, see below
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes in juice, such as “Pomi”brand
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups sprouted green lentils, (such as tru Roots brand) see below
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice, (squeeze juice from 2 small clementines)
- 2 dashes dashes cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat oil in a heavy, non-reactive 3 quart pot, add onions and sauté over low-medium heat for 5 minutes until translucent, but not colored. Add celery, carrots and bay leaves, stir and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and seasoning* and stir one minute more, to release the flavors.
- Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, sprouted lentils and orange juice. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer about 20 minutes – stirring occasionally until the lentils are very tender.
- Cool slightly and puree 1/3 of the soup in a blender, returning the puree to the pot – give a big stir.
- Taste the soup and salt if necessary – this will depend on the saltiness of your vegetable broth. Add 2 dashes of cayenne pepper and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, stir well.
- Serve the soup in individual bowls. Garnish the soup with: Baked Plantain Cubes, Lemon Crema, Sliced Jalapeños, Cilantro Leaves and Roasted Spiked Chickpeas. Garnishes make it special!
Baked Plantains: (optional but lovely)
- Slice a very ripe plantain 1/2" thick. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush 2 teaspoons neutral oil over and under slices. Cook in a preheated 400 degree oven until slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Turn over with tongs, brush with 1 teaspoon more oil and continue cooking until golden and softened – about 5 – 8 minutes longer. Cut into 1/2 chunks.(Ripe plantains have peels that are almost completely black. However, the firm, ripe ones called for in this recipe are black and yellow. Roll the unpeeled plantains on the counter to soften them.)
Garnishes:
Lemon Crema:
- In a small bowl, add 3 tablespoons sour cream or greek yogurt. Add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1/4 t. cuban seasoning and a pinch of salt, stir and refrigerate.
Roasted Spiked Chickpeas:
- Rinse 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas, place them on a paper towel to dry. Rub gently to remove any skins and discard them. Place chickpeas on a small baking pan and cook in a preheated 400 degree oven for 3 minutes to dry them out. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil and 2 teaspoons Cuban seasoning, rub in well. Roasted in oven, shaking once, until just a little crispy, about 10 minutes.
*Karen's Salt Free Sazón Cuban Seasoning:
- Ingredients: 2 T. onion powder 1 T. ground black pepper 1 T. cumin seed, toasted and ground 2 t. lemon zest, dried and ground 2 T. dehydrated garlic, granulated 1 T. oregano 1 t. celery seed, ground 1 t. smoked paprika 2 t. annatto seeds, ground 1/2 t. turmeric.
- Mix all together. Yield: 1/2 cup. Store on an airtight, glass container in a cool, dark place.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
