Rhubarb-Lentil Soup with Crème Fraîche

Soaking the lentils in hot water helps them cook a bit more quickly when they're added to the soup. Because of rhubarb's likeness to the tangy herb sorrel, this dish plays off classic lentil-sorrel soup.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups soup and 1 tablespoon crème fraîche mixture)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups  boiling water
• 3/4  cup  dried petite green lentils
• Cooking spray
• 2  cups  finely chopped carrot
• 1 3/4  cups  finely chopped celery
• 1 1/2  cups  finely chopped red onion
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley
• 2  cups  chopped rhubarb (about 12 ounces)
• 4  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh dill
• 6  tablespoons  crème fraîche
• Dill sprigs (optional)

Preparation

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over lentils in a small bowl; let stand 10 minutes.

2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add carrot, celery, onion, and parsley to pan; sauté for 4 minutes. Add rhubarb, and sauté for 3 minutes. Drain lentils, and add lentils to pan. Stir in chicken broth and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until lentils are tender.

3. Remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes. Place 3 cups lentil mixture in a blender or food processor. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan; stir in pepper.

4. Combine chopped dill and crème fraîche in a small bowl. Serve crème fraîche mixture on top of soup; garnish with dill sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

187 (29% from fat)

Fat:

6.1g (sat 3.3g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

8.5g

Carbohydrate:

25.4g

Fiber:

7.3g

Cholesterol:

14mg

Iron:

2.2mg

Sodium:

523mg

Calcium:

96mg