Ok, admittedly we are on a bit of a comforting, belly-warming soup kick lately. Anyone else out there? This dish was inspired by a few different recipes and wanting to use a box of Trader Joe's steamed lentils last night. It turned out amazing! The depth of flavor really made the soup taste much heartier than expected. Makes 4 larger servings or 6 smaller servings.
INEGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, finely diced
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp butter (optional)
2 large carrots, finely diced (about 1 1/2 c)
3 ribs celery, finely diced (about 1 1/2 c)
salt & pepper
1 1/2+ tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 dried bay leaves
1 quart veggie or chicken stock
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4+ tsp chili flakes (optional)
15-20 oz cooked lentils*
1 small lemon
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot on medium
2. Sauté onions and garlic for 2-3 min
3. Add to pot and cook for 10 min until softened:
butter (if using)
carrots
celery
salt & pepper
4. Add to pot, bring back up to a boil, turn heat down to low and simmer for at least 30 min:
paprika
cumin
coriander
bay leaves
stock
tomatoes
chili flakes (if using)
6. Add lentils* to pot, bring back up to boil, then simmer 15 minutes
7. Just before serving:
Remove bay leaves
Add salt and pepper to taste
Add zest of 1 small lemon and juice of 1/2 lemon
8. Serve with any (or none) of the following:
Lemon wedge
Parsley or cilantro
A swirl of half and half or heavy cream
Toasted bread or corn bread
9. Open a bottle of wine (if you haven't already) and enjoy!!! Suggested Gård pairings:
Merlot
Cab Sauv
Cab Franc
* We used Trader Joe's steamed lentils. You can find these in the bagged salad section in a box. Alternatively, you could use one 15 oz can of lentils. If you are familiar with dried lentils, you could probably use those as well, but you'd need to add them in Step 4 and add an extra cup or two of water or broth.
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