Next to split-pea soup—with johnnycake, of course—my little French grandmother’s ratatouille is a favorite. Easy to make, healthy, and fun. Ratatouille typically includes eggplant. Since my body does not like eggplant even a little bit, I found that the lentils and baked sweet potato are a good substitute—something about baking the sweet potato first works better than boiling it. If you cannot find a sweet potato, a yam will do, but I prefer the flavor of sweet potato.

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetarian broth
• 2 cups diced baby potatoes
• 1 cup dried lentils (I use a mixture of French blue and black lentils)
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 medium carrot, sliced
• 1 can plain diced tomatoes (use juice as part of the broth)
• 1 medium sweet potato, baked, peeled, and diced
• 2 tsp Himalayan salt or salt substitute (I use NoSalt®)
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp French herbs (Herbs de Provence)
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• ½ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp basil

Preparation

Soak lentils in water for 2 hours. (I soak them overnight then rinse and drain).

Dice and slice vegetables. Place broth, seasonings, and diced tomatoes in a large pan. Bring to a boil. Add carrots, onions, and celery and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. When carrots are almost done, add potatoes and zucchini and cook until soft. Remove bay leaf.

Place 3 cups in blender and blend until smooth. (Be careful opening blender as liquid is hot!) Add back to the pan along with diced, baked sweet potato and reheat as needed to desired temperature. Add more broth if desired.

Serving

Ladle into bowls or soup cups and garnish with croutons. This serves 4-6 depending on the size of your soup bowls! You may also boil mung bean or sweet potato noodles. Cook per directions, drain well, and serve the ratatouille over the noodles.