Description
A hearty and flavorful lentil soup perfect for chilly days.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced (red onion is nice here)
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 cups carrots, diced (2 large carrots, or sub diced yam)
- 1 celery stalk, sliced (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium tomato, diced (or sub 1 red bell pepper or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sumac (optional)
- ½ teaspoon chili powder (or red paprika, not smoked)
- 1 cup red lentils
- 4 cups vegetable broth, chicken stock or water
- 1 cup water
- Generous pinch cayenne pepper or Aleppo chile flakes
- Large squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the onion and garlic, and stir for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.
- Lower heat to medium, add carrots, celery, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 7 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and spices and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the lentils, broth, and water. Increase to medium-high heat, bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are cooked through.
- Using an immersion blender, partly puree the soup, leaving a little texture (or blend half of the soup in the blender).
- If you prefer a thinner soup, add more broth or liquid to desired consistency, seasoning as necessary.
- Squeeze with ½ the lemon and a pinch of cayenne. Taste, adjusting salt, lemon juice, and cayenne to taste.
- If you use water instead of broth, you’ll need another ¾-1 teaspoon of salt. The soup will start to taste more flavorful as it cools down a bit. If it tastes bland, find the balance between salt and lemon, adding more to taste. Cayenne is nice too.
- Divide among bowls, drizzle with good olive oil, fresh herbs, Aleppo chili flakes, or a sprinkling of sumac.
Notes
- If you use water instead of broth, you’ll need another ¾-1 teaspoon of salt.
- The soup will taste more flavorful as it cools down a bit.
- If it tastes bland, find the balance between salt and lemon, adding more to taste.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 12g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 0mg