Red Lentil Soup

A cold winter day like today summoned my favorite soup to the dinner table.  Red lentil soup is a warm, fireside necessity that lacks the cream, excessive butter/oil and salt that oftentimes make comfort more or less a burden on the gut and conscience.

The lentils are the main show in this soup yet are complemented beautifully by the sizzle of the red pepper flakes, tang of cumin, and heartiness that a simple pat of tomato paste brings.

It’s funny how the same ingredients I use in so many other dishes marry together differently to make markedly distinct, nuanced tastes. This baby was down in one:

Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

– 1/4 white onion, diced
– 1/4 red pepper, diced
– 1 carrot, shredded
– 1 cup red lentils
– 1/4 cup bulgar
– 1 tbsp tomato paste
– Salt & pepper
– 4 cups water
– Red pepper flakes
– 1 tsp cumin
– 1 tsp dried mint
– Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

Dice the onions and red pepper and toss into a pot with 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.

While those begin their trek to translucency, shred 1 carrot. Be careful not to nip those fingers (lesson learned over hur).

Add the carrot to the pot with the onions and red pepper. The carrot and red pepper highlight the sweetness of lentils. Things get steamy.

While the vegetables cook for a few minutes, assemble the grains!

Red lentils and bulgar wheat…into the pot they go!

Next, add 1 tbsp of tomato paste. It provides a beautiful color and a depth to the taste, in a sense acting as a cohesive base to the soup.

Add some salt & pepper.

Time to wrap it up–add 4 cups water.

Red pepper flakes, cumin and mint.

And lastly, the juice of half a lemon.

Mix it all up, cover the pot with a lid, and let the soup simmer on low for 20-30 minutes.

20-30 minutes later…

I absolutely love this soup! Your body will thank you.

xoxo

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