Lentil Tortilla Soup

It's the week after Thanksgiving and I'm still thinking about all the delicious food I ate last week.  I have no regrets, but I'm certainly looking forward to healthier (but still delicious) food this week.  And given the chilly weather we've been having, soup is on my mind again.  We made this lentil tortilla soup last week, and it ticks all the boxes... easy, quick, healthy, and delicious!

In addition to being easy, I loved how versatile the recipe is.  There are instructions for it in a pressure cooker, in a slow cooker, or on the stove top.  We did it in an instant pot using the pressure cooker setting and it worked perfectly.  And depending on the toppings you choose, it can be vegan and gluten free too.  Here's what we did

6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium onion diced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 bell pepper diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper diced
• 2.5 cups vegetable broth 
• 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 TBSP tomato paste
• 15 oz can black beans 
• 15 oz can pinto beans 
• 1 cup corn (fresh, canned, or frozen)
• 3/4 cup dried red lentils
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• Optional Toppings (1/2 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy), crushed tortilla chips, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, etc.) 

Directions

 So easy for the instant pot!  Chop up the veggies, add everything to the pot except the optional toppings, high pressure for 15 minutes and natural release (we got impatient and manually released after 15 minutes of natural release).  That's it!  Serve it up and everyone can add whatever toppings they want.  We had some leftover milk we needed to use up so we added that to the soup to make it a bit creamier.  I had tortilla chips and avocado on mine, Mike had cheese on his.

It was so good!  The lentils kind of melted into the soup and thickened it up so this felt really hearty and a great dinner on a cold evening.

I'm linking up with Deborah and Sarah for Meatless Monday.