I never ate soup until I was an adult. I didn’t like my vegetables to be soft; although I think that my disdain for soup was also a projection of being a picky eater generally. When I think back on all the things I refused to eat as a child, I can’t believe my parents didn’t ship me off. Thankfully I have since grown up (at least a little), and now I appreciate the warmth and comfort a bowl of soup can provide. Well, I haven’t exactly embraced pea soup yet.
I know lots of people turn their noses up at the thought of lentil soup. The poor, little lentil being snubbed left and right. So undeserved. It’s time to give the lentil a chance. Just look at the beautiful color of red lentils, and think of all the protein and fiber they deliver. The recipe below is adapted from Heidi Swanson’s red lentil soup recipe on her blog 101 Cookbooks. This was actually the first soup I ever made from scratch. Heidi’s blog features some wonderful meat-free recipes using natural ingredients, not to mention some truly gorgeous photography. My version uses meat, but can easily be tweaked into a vegetarian version.
Red Lentil Soup
Serves 4-6 as main course; adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Pancetta, two quarter-inch slices, diced (or substitute 2-3 slices of bacon)
One large onion (I usually use a sweet onion) or 3 shallots or combination, chopped
Red pepper flakes, a couple good shakes or more, as you please
Cumin, one Tablespoon
Smoked Paprika, one and a half teaspoons
Celery, two stalks diced
Carrots, 1 cup diced
Chicken stock, 3 cups (you can sub vegetable broth or water)
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Brown rice, three-quarters of a cup (rinsed & picked)
Red lentils, one cup (rinsed & picked)
Sea salt
Fresh cilantro, to garnish
In large pot, sauté pancetta (or bacon) over medium-high heat until it renders its fat and is becoming crunchy. Remove pancetta to bowl lined with paper towels and set aside. Add onion/shallots to pot at medium heat, along with pepper flakes, cumin and smoked paprika. Stirring occasionally, sauté for about 5 minutes. Add celery and carrots, and continue to sauté for 5 minutes more. (You may need to add some olive oil or butter to the sauté if it starts to become too dry.) Once the vegetables are soft and the onion is browned, add the stock and water and bring to a boil. Add brown rice and red lentils. Bring to a boil again, and then reduce to simmer. Simmer, covered, until the rice is thoroughly cooked, about 35-40 minutes. Note: the red lentils will lose their shape during cooking. As you approach the end of the simmering time, taste and add salt as needed. The soup tends to taste very flat until appropriately salted. I also like to add the pancetta back to the soup during the simmering portion, which contributes saltiness and additional texture to the soup – just be careful with salting if you return the pancetta to the soup, since you don’t want a salt overdose! Serve with a healthy amount of cilantro garnish.
Cooking notes:
If you prefer to skip the meat portion of this recipe, simply sauté in olive oil and/or butter, and use vegetable broth and/or water.
I like to run my veggies through the food processor for quick and easy chopping. You could actually combine the onion, celery and carrots in processor until they’re a nice veggie slush, and add to the pot together.
I love cumin and smoked paprika. The amounts listed are merely suggestions. I typically load ‘em up in this soup.
I usually add the chicken stock and about 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. I then add an additional cup of water or more during the simmering phase, if the soup starts to look too thick. I have let this soup simmer for hours – just be sure to keep an eye on the liquid level and add water or stock as needed.
Printable version of recipe here: FWC Lentil Soup Recipe.
And by the way, I swear I am still sewing these days. Quite a bit actually! I’ll have to do a re-cap once I catch my breath.