Smoky Cozy Lentil Soup
Brown lentils simmered on the stovetop with tomatoes, mirepoix and a warm cumin and smoked paprika base, then brightened with lemon juice off the heat. One pot, no soaking, and better on the second day.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 carrots sliced or diced
- 2 celery stalks sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 cups dry green or brown lentils rinsed and picked over
- 1 can diced tomatoes about 15 ounces, with the juices
- 6 cups vegetable broth or half broth and half water
- 1 bay leaf
Spices and Seasoning
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste, seasoned at the end
- 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 0.5 tsp dried thyme
To Finish
- 2 tbsp lemon juice or red or white wine vinegar, to taste
- 2 cups fresh spinach or chopped kale optional
- Fresh cilantro or parsley chopped, for garnish
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
Instructions
Build the Base
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and saute until the onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Keep the heat moderate so the vegetables soften rather than brown.
- Add the minced garlic and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant. Sprinkle in the cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for 30 to 60 seconds so the spices bloom in the oil.
Simmer the Lentils
- Add the diced tomatoes with their juices and stir them through the vegetables, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the rinsed lentils, the vegetable broth and the bay leaf. Stir once, then bring the pot to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are completely tender. Add more broth or water if the pot looks tight.
Blend and Finish
- Remove the bay leaf. Run an immersion blender through the pot for a few short pulses, just until the broth turns opaque and thickens. Most of the lentils should stay whole.
- Stir in the lemon juice off the heat. Add the spinach or kale if you are using it and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the leaves wilt. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with plenty of chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve with bread or crackers.
Notes
Make it ahead: cook it completely, cool it and refrigerate. If you are cooking more than a day out, hold back the greens and the lemon juice until you reheat so the spinach stays green and the acid stays bright.
Storing: it keeps 5 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator and freezes for up to 3 months. It sets almost solid when cold, so loosen each bowl with a splash of broth or water when reheating. Freeze the base without the greens, because spinach and kale both go slippery after thawing.
Substitutions: red lentils work if you cut the simmer to about 20 minutes and skip the blending, and half a cup of full-fat coconut milk at the end makes it creamy. For a version without tomatoes, leave the can out and add one more cup of broth.
Doneness: press a lentil against the side of the pot. It should squash completely with no chalky center. Very old lentils may never soften, whatever the timer says.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 890mg | Potassium: 720mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4900IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 5.3mg