Friday Recipe: Red Lentil Soup

What can I say? It's that time of the year, the time when I make soup at least once a week if not more. This week's recipe, therefore, is red lentil soup. Full of tomato-ey goodness, this hearty pot of soup will warm you up and fill you up.


Red Lentil Soup
Serves ~8

6 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp cumin (ground)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or chili pepper (or more to taste)
2 quarts vegetable broth (or equivalent bouillon + water)
3 c. water
2 cups red lentils
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
lemon juice (optional)

1. In a large pot, heat the oil. Add onions and garlic; saute until golden brown.
2. Add in tomato paste and all spices. Stir and saute.
3. Add in broth, 3 c. water, lentils, and carrots. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to simmer the soup until the lentils are soft (approx 30-40 minutes).
4. Taste and add spices as necessary.
5. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup.
6. Optional: Stir in lemon juice to taste (~ 1 lemon)
7. Eat!

Notes
*Depending on how much broth I have on hand, sometimes I use a mixture of broth and bouillon + water. You may find you want to add more or less water to the soup, depending on how thick you like your lentil soup.

*I only add the lemon juice to the pot if I'm serving it to a number of people at once. If I make the soup and eat it over the course of the week, I add a little lemon juice to my bowl.

*If you don't have any broth on hand, you can substitute pureed tomatoes and more spices for an extra tomato-ey base.

*This is vegan/lactose-free/pareve soup.