MEXICAN LENTIL SOUP WITH CACTUS

Mexican Lentil Soup with Cactus image

Mexican lentil soup with cactus is a unique blend of nopale paddles, lentils, and pasilla peppers in a thick and rich chicken broth.

Provided by María Eugenia

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes Vegetable Soup Recipes

Time 1h

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

6 cups water, divided
1 cup dry lentils
2 cubes tomato-chicken bouillon
2 nopales (cactus)
4 pasilla chile peppers
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic

Steps:

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in lentils and bouillon cubes. Simmer over medium-low heat until lentils are nearly tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Trim off the edges of nopales and scrape spines from both sides using a sharp knife. Rinse and roughly chop. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add nopales and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.
Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add pasilla peppers and toast until evenly brown, making sure not to burn them, about 5 minutes. Cool until safe to handle; remove seeds and veins. Combine toasted peppers, onion, garlic, and remaining 1 cup water in a blender. Process until smooth; strain into a bowl.
Stir blended pepper mixture and boiled nopales into the saucepan with the lentils. Simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes more.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 222.6 calories, Carbohydrate 37.5 g, Cholesterol 0.3 mg, Fat 2.1 g, Fiber 18 g, Protein 14.8 g, SaturatedFat 0.2 g, Sodium 517.5 mg, Sugar 2.6 g