May 10
2011
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Pork and Lentil Soup

A little insight into the weirdness that is Fuji Mama: I start to crave soup when the weather heats up.  The deeper into summer we get, the more I want soup.  I have no idea why, I just know it’s a weird fact about myself that I’ve been able to embrace and indulge once I started cooking for myself.

Making Soup

Mr. Fuji has just learned to roll with my strange little quirks, and rarely bats an eye anymore.  Now that the weather is increasingly more summery, those familiar soup cravings have been creeping in.  Last week I had a package of pork chops that I needed to use, but didn’t feel like making any of the usual things that come to mind when pork chops are concerned.  So what did I do? I made soup, of course!

Making Pork and Lentil Soup

I made a simple pork chop and lentil soup, and to their credit, my family ate it up without complaint.  So if you’re weird like me and you like soup during warm weather, pull out your soup pot and make a batch!  If not, then just file this one away for fall.  I’ll understand.

Comforting Pork and Lentil Soup

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Pork and Lentil Soup

Makes about 6 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons dried crushed basil leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 pound bone-in pork chops
3 cups chicken broth
8 ounces brown lentils, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, basil, salt, black pepper, and cumin and saute until the onions have softened.

2. Stir in the carrots and saute for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, push the mixture to the edges of the pot. Add the pork chops and brown them on each side.

3. Add the broth, lentils and tomato paste and stir to combine.

4. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes.

5. Remove the pork chops from the pot.  Using two forks, pull the meat from the bones.  Discard the bones.  Lightly shred the meat and return it to the soup.

6. Add the lime juice and chili flakes and stir into the soup, then remove the pot from the heat. Serve hot.

{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }

Sue May 10, 2011 at 3:57 pm

That looks fantastic! Where’s my bowl and crunchy french bread? :)

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Olga @ MangoTomato May 10, 2011 at 3:59 pm

Yum! And we are almost on the same page: I made a split pea soup with ham ;)

Wish we could swap a few bowls.

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Fuji Mama May 11, 2011 at 1:22 pm

@Olga @ MangoTomato, Wish we could too!! Can’t you just move closer? :)

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Meg May 10, 2011 at 4:03 pm

I know what is going to be my lunch for next week. YUM!!

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) May 11, 2011 at 1:24 pm

@Meg, Let me know how it goes!

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Nicole May 10, 2011 at 4:13 pm

I love soup any time of year! But I have strange warm weather quirks, too. I generally bake bread much more often during the summer, even though it heats up my apartment like crazy. I’ve been like that for as long as I’ve been baking for myself.

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) May 11, 2011 at 1:25 pm

@Nicole, I totally understand the bread thing. I swear it tastes better during summer! :)

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Lindsey@Lindselicious May 10, 2011 at 4:52 pm

I’m in love with lentils but I have yet to cook them. Perhaps I will try it with this soup! I’m with you now that it’s heating up I weirdly want cold weather food. I’ve been obssessing about chicken pot pie and it’s in the 80s… With ice cream to cool down at the end, of course. =)

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) May 11, 2011 at 1:26 pm

@Lindsey@Lindselicious, OF COURSE. :)

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Tina @ Squirrel Acorns May 10, 2011 at 5:41 pm

This looks awesome! I’ve been looking for some new soup recipes, summer on its way, notwithstanding. Soup is always good! And I must say that you take much better care of your dutch oven than I do! I have that same pot in Flame, I absolutely love it. But, it’s not quite so shiny and gorgeous looking. I tell myself that it’s good for it to look well-used, LOL! Loved your Mother’s Day picture with the girls, by the way. Forgot to mention it when I posted on the giveaway thread.

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) May 11, 2011 at 1:26 pm

@Tina @ Squirrel Acorns, Thanks Tina! :)

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Katrina May 10, 2011 at 10:47 pm

Great looking soup! Yum!

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Yuri May 11, 2011 at 7:43 am

I crave soup anytime! I’ve been adding quinoa and lentils to my homey miso soup. This looks delicious, Rachael :)

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) May 11, 2011 at 1:26 pm

@Yuri, I love that idea! I’m totally making quinoa miso soup soon!

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LiztheChef May 11, 2011 at 8:16 am

We eat soup most of the year too. In fact, I made some potato leek soup a couple of days ago. Your recipe looks wonderful – I love lentils and was planning on slow-cooking 2 pork chops today. Maybe I’ll do your soup instead…

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) May 11, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Lori May 11, 2011 at 9:27 am

I am right there with you. Soup is a mainstay for me. I make it all year long and seem to want it most when it’s warm outside. There’s nothing weird in that; it sounds perfectly normal to me! And I’ve got 2 late-season butternut squash sitting on my counter whose fate is already determined. I think there’s some room for lentils and pork as well. The soup looks delicious!

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) May 11, 2011 at 1:27 pm

@Lori, Thank goodness for a fellow “normal” person! :)

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Delishhh May 11, 2011 at 9:36 am

Not a weird thing at all – the best vacations for me are sitting on a beach in Thailand having Thai hot noodle soup for breakfast!!!! LOVE IT. Great soup!

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) May 11, 2011 at 1:28 pm

@Delishhh, I LOVE how you can get such yummy hot soups in Thailand during the summer!

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Marcello May 11, 2011 at 9:47 am

I was trying top figure out what to do with the french lentils I have. You answered my prayer. Its going to be a fire work.

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) May 11, 2011 at 1:29 pm

@Marcello, Yay! Glad I could help! :)

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Lisa May 22, 2011 at 5:16 pm

Much to my husband’s chagrin, I make soup once or twice a week all year long. My boys are too young to notice that not everyone has hot soup during Southern summers. I love soup and it’s a perfect way to use up leftovers or stretch a grocery budget. I’m always on the lookout for new recipes. Thanks for this one!

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Charissa May 23, 2011 at 9:42 am

Lentils. Vegan Protein. Fibre. Yes. Yes. Yes. I love these kind of soups, they just make me giggle at all the health and tasty-ness of it all. ;)

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Emma Rose May 30, 2011 at 12:28 pm

Looks gorgeous! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Great share, thanks!

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Reener June 27, 2011 at 8:00 pm

This looks scrumdilliumptious and I’ve been itching for a reason to get a Le Creuset dutch oven. What size is the one you used?

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Fuji Mama July 1, 2011 at 9:43 am

@Reener — I have the 5 quart oval dutch oven!

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Charissa January 26, 2012 at 7:30 pm

Found your recipe on Pinterest and tried it tonight. Amaaaaazing! My husband loved it too! Thanks so much!

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) January 29, 2012 at 8:41 am

@Charissa, Thank you so much Charissa! And thank you for taking the time to come back and comment!

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Jack February 3, 2012 at 11:05 pm

I can’t wait to try this recipe, I have all ingredients, will cook tomorrow.
Only three cups of broth as the only liquid ingredient seems wrong.
Especially for six servings!
Oh well, we will see…

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) February 4, 2012 at 10:01 am

@Jack — 8 ounces of lentils is just slightly more than one cup. To cook lentils you need 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups of liquid per cup of lentils (depending on the source you are referring to and the type of lentil you are cooking). This recipe uses 3 cups of liquid for 1 cup of lentils, plus some tomato paste, lime juice, and fat that the pork chops contribute, which all add up to make a nice thick soup. Once it has cooked, if you want it thinner, you can always add additional broth.

As far as serving size goes, serving sizes are very subjective, and so I often refer to Federal Regulations for food labeling that provide a handy list of reference customarily consumed per eating occasion. (http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div8&view=text&node=21:2.0.1.1.2.1.1.8&idno=21) This list states that a single serving size for soup is 245 grams (8.64 ounces). When divided into 6 portions, this soup definitely meets that number!

These serving sizes are based on being a part of a meal, not a meal unto itself. If you’re looking to fill up on soup alone, you will likely eat more than one serving.

I hope you enjoy the soup!

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LiztheChef February 4, 2012 at 10:43 am

Thanks for a helpful comment about servings. Lentils seem to multiply for me and I have learned that 1 cup of lentils goes a long way…

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Mull March 10, 2012 at 2:38 pm

Thinking about making this recipe sometime soon–how thick were your pork chops? I tend to get the inexpensive mixed chop packages, and was wondering if they would be too thin.

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BG April 19, 2012 at 10:33 am

Made this last night and it was very tasty. Thanks for the recipe and will definitely be making it again.

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Christine Osterwalder March 26, 2013 at 11:29 am

Thanks for this great recipe! It just used lots of leftovers that I had and tasted absolutely fantastic! We enjoyed naan bread with it and that seemed a good fit with the heartiness of the soup. Thanks for sharing this recipe…definitely a keeper!

I also wanted to compliment you on your rice cooker giveaway a few years ago, which came up as I looked at your site. That was some excellent marketing and social media use! The article about your mom and daughters was also lovely. My children are now just barely grown up (18 and 23) and my mom died a few years ago from pancreatic cancer but all of them are with me in so many ways when I prepare good food like your lentil pork soup recipe. May you have many more happy food and family memories!

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Dierdra July 17, 2013 at 2:36 pm

Fuji MaMa Hello!! Had to tell you I made this soup and I really love it! I added 1 cob of fresh local white corn and a hand-ful of our garden string beans and a pinch of saffron. It was so delish!! Will make it often. Thanks for your recipe.

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Lesley January 23, 2014 at 4:57 am

Just had a bowl of this , so delicious thank you

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Tarika Menezes July 31, 2018 at 12:08 am

Omgosh this was amazing! My husband was raved about it and even thinks it tastes better the next day! Thank you :)

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Andrea Kincer September 6, 2018 at 11:32 am

Does anyone have the nutrition data on this recipe? The soup was delicious!

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Sara February 7, 2021 at 10:42 am

I’ve been using this recipe to make lentil soup for years now and it never gets old! Sometimes when I am lazy I cube some ham instead of shredding pork. Thank you so much for the recipe!

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La Fuji Mama February 10, 2021 at 9:00 pm

I am so glad!! That makes me so happy. Thank you for taking the time to drop by and let me know!

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