Last month, I was mock-forced into my very first CrossFit experience when my CrossFitting friend called to tell me she was on her way to kidnap me for class. Now, I have no intention of wearing exceptionally tall socks and starting to refer to everyone as “bruh” (mostly kidding about the tall socks and “bruh” - that was my own misperception, it turns out), and it’s hard for me to reconcile the CrossFit principles with yoga principles, but it was a hell of a workout and I’ll certainly throw it into the workout mix, on occasion. As it tends to happen, though, I digress… That day, I’d already run 9 miles, took a hot vinyasa class, and taught two, so I was very nearly starving before her call came through. Needless to say, by the time I made it back home 90 minutes later, my stomach was well on its way to digesting my spleen. Need. Food. Now. I throw my shoes off and immediately start pulling whatever’s at the front of my pantry out. I ended up with a couple of cans of fire roasted tomatoes, an onion, and a can of emergency garbanzos, and this is how the curried tomato soup was born - minus the garbanzos because I wanted to save them for emergency hummus.

With only onion, garlic, tomatoes, red lentils, and spinach, the prep time on this soup is wicked short. After my post CrossFit frenzy to fill my stomach, I thought about adding some more veggies to amp up the nutrients, but there’s something to be said for ease and simplicity. I’ve now shared it with four different friends, and they all agree that some things are best left alone. That said, if you’re feeling super sassy and have an extra 90 seconds, some chopped up carrots or summer squash would probably go right nicely in it. If you play around with it, let us know what you think in the comments.

curried tomato soup
serves 6-8

1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 inch knob fresh turmeric, peeled and minced
4 cups veggie broth, divided
2/3 cup red lentils
2 14 oz can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
3 cups packed torn fresh spinach
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
4-5 turns fresh ground black pepper
optional fresh cilantro to garnish

1) In a large pot, over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and garlic in 1/2 cup of veggie broth until onions start to soften, about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2) Add the spices (curry powder thru turmeric), and sauté one minute more.

3) Stir in the salt, pepper, remaining 3 1/2 cups of veggie broth, crushed tomatoes, and red lentils. Cover, reduce to low and simmer for approximately 15 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through.
4) Stir in the torn spinach and simmer uncovered for another minute or two until the spinach is wilted. Taste to adjust seasonings, and enjoy!

curried tomato soup
serves 6-8

1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 inch knob fresh turmeric, peeled and minced
4 cups veggie broth, divided
2/3 cup red lentils
2 14 oz can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
3 cups packed torn fresh spinach
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
4-5 turns fresh ground black pepper
optional fresh cilantro to garnish

1) In a large pot, over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and garlic in 1/2 cup of veggie broth until onions start to soften, about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2) Add the spices (curry powder thru turmeric), and sauté one minute more.
3) Stir in the salt, pepper, remaining 3 1/2 cups of veggie broth, crushed tomatoes, and red lentils. Cover, reduce to low and simmer for approximately 15 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through.
4) Stir in the torn spinach and simmer uncovered for another minute or two until the spinach is wilted. Taste to adjust seasonings, and enjoy!