Instant Pot Green Moong Dal Soup Recipe

Green moong dal and spinach soup

Protein rich and nourishing, this Green moong dal soup with spinach is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Made using pantry essentials, this soup is very forgiving and can be made with ingredients you can easily find at home.

Soups are perfect for weeknight dinners. After a tiring day at work, when all you want to do is curl up and watch some tv, the idea of spending a portion of that time slogging in the kitchen is not something most people look forward to. It’s for times like that, I love quick fix meals like soups, salads and stirfries.

This green moong dal is perfect for those times when you want to get your cooking done with soon and still feel like you have fed your family with something nutritious and delicious. It is protein rich, thick, creamy and very simple to make. And when you pair it with some crusty sourgdough bread you have got yourself a perfect combination!

Given the current situation, I know a lot of us are having a difficult time procuring groceries. When I came up with this green moong dal soup recipe, I was almost out of most of the veggies. So I had to make to do with what I had at home. Also, since I was planning to give this to my 4 year old too, I kept the spices and seasoning simple. But feel free to add extra spices as you wish.

Can I make this soup with other lentils?

I havent tried this exact recipe with other lentils. But I feel red lentils will work well in the recipe. Do let me know if you give it a try!

Can I add veggies to this recipe?

Yes!! I love adding veggies to everything. You can add veggies like celery, peas, carrots, beans, cauliflower etc. Since I was cooking with an almost empty pantry, I just added what I could work with.

This instant pot soup is very forgiving. It is a throw what you have kind of dish. It does not matter if you have a whole lot of ingredients. It is simple, clean and subtle. I highly recommend eating this with some sourdough like we did!

Let’s jump to the recipe!

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Instant Pot Green Moong Dal Soup

Hearty, simple and comforting green moong dal and spinach soup with pantry ingredients

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: instant pot, lentils, soup

Servings: 3

Author: Preethi

Ingredients

1 cup green moong dal soaked in water overnight
1/2 onion chopped ( any kind of onion will do)
1 cup chopped spinach, tightly packed. can subsitute with any other greens
2 bayleaf
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp chopped ginger – garlic
3 tbsp chopped celery
2 tbsp almonds or cashews (optional)
2 cups vegetable stock (substitute with water)
1 tsp lemon / lime zest
1 tbsp lemon/ lime juice
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste
salt to taste
2 tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Instant pot recipe

Switch on the saute mode in your Ip and add oil. When the oil becomes hot, add the bayleaf, cumin seeds and let the cumin sizzle.
Then add the chopped onions, celery and saute until they start to caramalize.
Then add the chopped ginger – garlic and saute for a minute or so.
Now add the soaked lentils, spinach, almonds, vegetable stock, lime zest, salt, extra 2 cups water and close the lid. Cook on manual mode / pressure cook mode for 15 minutes.
When done, release pressure naturally. Blend everything until creamy. Add more water/ stock at this stage if you wish.
Add lemon juice, black pepper and cilantro to taste.
Serve hot with crusty sourdough.

Pressure cooker method

Heat your pressure cooker and add oil. When the oil becomes hot, add the bayleaf, cumin seeds and let the cumin sizzle.
Then add the chopped onions, celery and saute until they start to caramalize.
Then add the chopped ginger – garlic and saute for a minute or so.
Now add the soaked lentils, spinach, almonds, vegetable stock, lime zest, salt, extra 2 cups water and cook for 4 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.
Blend everything until creamy. Add more water/ stock at this stage if you wish. Add lemon juice, black pepper and cilantro to taste.
Serve hot with crusty sourdough.

Recipe Notes

It is important to soak the lentils overnight or atlesast for 6 hours.
The nuts are optional. The soup will turn out creamy even without these.
Can substitute the celery with more onions.
Lemon or lime juice is important to balance the creaminess in the dish.

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