As fall sets in and temperatures begin to drop, one can’t help but get excited about soups. Our family enjoys a whole variety of them from spaghetti minestrone to seafood stew. When trying to choose which one to share first, I opted for my husband’s favorite and one that even my young children enjoy – lentil soup. This dish is both healthy and hearty thanks to the lentils, which are rich in protein and fiber, and easily serves as a main meal. We love to eat the soup with a thick slice of homemade bread. Another option, if you want to keep the dish gluten-free or are looking to give it a southern twist, is to accompany it with cornbread.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces lentils
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 large carrot
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 9 cups water (divided)
Preparation
- Peel and finely chop the onion
- Peel and mince the garlic
- Cook the onion and garlic in a large pot with 1/4 cup of olive oil until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes)
- Wash the lentils and sift through them to make sure there aren’t any little rocks amongst the beans (this should be done any time you are cooking with beans or grains)
- Add the lentils, bay leaf, and 5 cups of water to the pot
- Bring to a boil over high heat
- While the water is heating to a boil, wash and peel the carrot, and cut into rounds
- Once the soup reaches a boil, add the carrots, and simmer covered over medium-low heat for 20 minutes
- After 20 minutes, add 4 cups of water, the tomato paste, salt, and another 1/4 cup of olive oil and continue to simmer covered for another 30 minutes until the lentils have softened
