Red Lentil Soup
Charlie spotted this recipe in the New York Times on 1/9/2008. We tried it and it has become one of our favorite recipes. Delicious and easy to make. And the red lentils cook fast, even at Albuquerque's mile-high altitude. We've modified it but only very slight. Below is how we make it.
Servings 4 generous servings
Ingredients
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 T tomato paste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt (omit if broth is salty)
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground chili powder or cayenne
- 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup red lentils
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced (optional)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot over high pot, heat the oil. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden.
- Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add broth, lentils and carrot. Bring to a boil, then partially cover pot and turn to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, 30 or more minutes depending on altitude.
- Use an immersion blender, half-purée the soup. Leave it a little chunky
- Stir in lemon juice.
- Serve with cilantro (if you wish) and drizzled with olive oil. Can also dust lightly with chili powder if you wish.
Notes
WW Points Per Serving: 1