Author Notes
My favorite way to make lentil soup is with loads of chopped up dried/cured chorizo in the bottom. The oils and all the goodness from the chorizo makes the soup zingy and spicy and delicious. Not exactly healthy, but the flavors....oh the flavors. But in deference to trying to do more meatless entrees, I decided to remove the meat, but leave the essential chorizo flavors. And I would have taken a picture but seriously, folks, has anyone been able to take a picture of lentil soup where it doesn't just look like a bowl of brown mush? It's certainly far, far outside my skill set.....
Oh, and pretty much like all soups, it's significantly better the next day once all the flavors have had a chance to get to know one another better. —Niknud
Ingredients
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3
small carrots, peeled and diced
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1
yellow onion, diced
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3
cloves garlic, minced
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2.5 cups
dried lentils
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1 teaspoon
red pepper flakes (optional for extra heat)
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1 teaspoon
corriander
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1 teaspoon
epazote (or oregano)
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1/2 teaspoon
thyme
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1/4 teaspoon
cloves
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2 tablespoons
chili powder
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1 teaspoon
paprika
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1
28-oz can diced tomatoes (with juice)
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2 teaspoons
salt
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5-8 cups
veggie broth, water, any combination thereof
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3-4 tablespoons
olive oil
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chopped cilantro (optional)
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toasted pepitas (optional)
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thin sliced raw jalapeno peppers (optional)
Directions
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In a large, heavy bottomed (think Lodge) pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and saute the carrots and onions until slightly softened.
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While the veggies are doing their thing, put together all the spices and herbs (except salt) in a small bow. Add the mixture along with the garlic and another tablespoon of olive oil to the veggies and cook for about 2 minutes until the spices get all fragrant, stirring constantly. If it gets too tight, add another tablespoon of oil. Don't burn the garlic please.
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Add the lentils and stir to coat. Then add the can of tomatoes and about 5 cups of the veggie broth. Simmer until lentils reach the desired texture, adding more liquid as neccessary. Season with salt to your taste. The quantity range on the broth/water is because some lentils seem to suck up more liquid then others and some people perfer a thicker or thinner soup. Me? I like it thick enough so my spoon stands straight up but that's just me. I leave it in your capable hands. Garnish with cilantro and toasted pepitas or jalapenos if you like.
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For non-vegans: throw some colby jack on top. Or sour cream. Or both.
Full-time working wife and mother of two small boys whose obsessive need to cook delicious food is threatening to take over what little free time I have. I grew up in a family of serious cookers but didn't learn to cook myself until I got married and got out of the military and discovered the joys of micro-graters, ethiopian food, immersion blenders and watching my husband roll around on the floor after four servings of pulled pork tamales (with real lard!) complaining that he's so full he can't feel his legs. Trying to graduate from novice cooker to ranked amateur. The days of 'the biscuit incident of aught five' as my husband refers to it are long past but I still haven't tried my hand at paella so I'm a work in progress!
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