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Red Lentil Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, diced
  • 1 celery rib, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small Yukon Gold potato, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup water, more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Heavy cream, for garnish
  • Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
  2. Stir in the potato, garlic, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes, and 1 cup water. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the lentils and potatoes are soft.

  3. Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend until mostly smooth, although I like to leave a bit of texture. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you could blend the soup in an upright blender. If the soup is too thick, add additional water, as needed.

  4. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil or heavy cream with chopped fresh parsley.

Recipe Notes

  • Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
  • The soup will thicken after a day or two in the fridge, so you may need to stir in some water to thin it when you reheat.