This recipe is a hybrid of a few different ones from across the internet, and can be made vegan or dairy-free by substituting coconut oil or vegetable oil for the ghee / clarified butter and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Packed with protein from the quinoa and lentils, and very tasty with a little spicy kick from curry powder and chili flakes, this soup is a definite winner! Even got the stamp of approval from my usually pretty picky eater, Kira. :)

Ingredients

1 TBSP ghee / clarified butter (or substitute vegetable oil or coconut oil)
1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 to 1 tsp red chili flakes
1 cup dried green lentils
3/4 cup white quinoa
3-1/2 cups water
3-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups chopped mixed greens (E.G. spinach, chard, kale, etc.)
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions

Heat ghee / clarified butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent (about 5 minutes), then add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Stir in all of salt and spices and toast them for 1 minute.
Add the lentils and quinoa and mix well until the spices are well incorporated.
Transfer all of it to your Instant Pot or other digital pressure cooker (if you have one), and add the water and chicken broth. Stir well, then seal up the cooker and set it to manual, for 15 minutes. When it’s done, release the pressure manually, and check the cook on the lentils. If the lentils are still too firm, seal it back up and cook for another 5 minutes at pressure (15 minutes made them perfect for me).
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, transfer everything to a large soup pot, add the water and broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked to your desired firmness.
When the lentils are sufficiently cooked, add the chopped greens and let them wilt in the soup for a few minutes.
Add the lemon juice and season to taste, then serve!