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Lentil and spinach soup is probably the most common dish that gets thrown together in the MSV kitchen when there aren't any other bright ideas floating around. It's warm, earthy, comforting, full of protein, and ensures at least some chlorophyll makes it into the gut for the day.
Today, you get a little twist on that easy dish that increases the comfort factor by adding a crispy layer up top, and increases the dreamboat factor by folding fresh rosemary into that topping. For the tiniest bit of extra effort, you get a charming little meal.
Bonus: it's so easy. Nothing to saute, hardly anything to chop. Just throw it all in the pot and let it go. And if you make the whole thing in a Dutch oven, there's only one dish to wash at the end of the night. Okay, that and the small bowl you mix your topping in. Still, not bad.
Lentil, Spinach, and Rosemary Crisp
serves 4
For the base:
2 1/2 cups water
8 oz brown lentils
8 oz frozen spinach
1 no-salt-added vegetable bouillon cube
2 TBSP nutritional yeast
2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
1/t tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt
For the topping:
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary
1/8 tsp fine sea or kosher salt
2 TBSP olive oil
Add all base ingredients to a dutch oven and stir. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir again, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook 25 minutes.
In the last five or so minutes of cooking, heat oven to 350.
Remove lentils from heat and stir. The lentils should be almost done, and most of the water should have been absorbed, but there will still be some liquid in the bottom of the pot.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together all topping ingredients except olive oil. Add oil and stir with a fork until uniform. Crumble evenly over lentils.
Bake, uncovered, 18 minutes. Switch oven to the broiler and broil 3-5 minutes to brown the topping, being careful not to burn. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.