Everyday Lentil Soup

We love all things lentils and this Everyday Lentil Soup is a favorite! Lentil soup can serve as a main dish, light meal/snack, or starter. This luscious soup enriched with the trio of onions, garlic, and carrots can stand alone or served with grains or bread. According to Hema, this soup is based on Mauritian recipe where Indian and local ingredients are combined to produce the unique dishes reminiscent of Indian cuisine.

The soup begins with preparing a flavorful basic seasoning of toasted cumin seeds, onions and garlic common to most dals along with carrots which add color, texture, and sweetness plus tomato for a little tang. I like to cook the lentils by themselves and add them to the soup after the seasonings are ready. Then the soup is simmered with fragrant thyme and finished with a sprinkle of parsley or cilantro. 

Leftovers are fabulous for about a week in the fridge or maybe frozen for up to 3 months. Or, turn the delicious leftovers into a yummy casserole: stir the soup into cooked grains and bake under a light blanket of your favorite vegan cheese and/or a sprinkle of seasoned regular/gluten-free bread or cracker crumbs until heated through and the crumbs are golden and crisp.

Notes: 

Parsnips maybe subbed for some or all of the carrots. Celery is another great addition. 

8 Servings

Ingredients:

2 cups Lentils, soaked for 30 minutes and rinsed

1 medium Onion, finely diced

1 large Carrot, finely diced

2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste

1 or 2 Tomatoes, diced

2-3 Tbsp fresh Thyme, finely chopped (or 1-2 tsp dried)

1/4 tsp Turmeric

1/8 - 1/2 tsp Cayenne 

4-5 cups water or as needed

1 large handful Flatleaf Parsley/Cilantro, finely chopped
Lime/Lemon wedges to serve (optional)

Directions:

Sort, rinse and soak the lentils in lots of water to cover for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain soaking water and rinse.

Cook the lentils until quite tender in enough fresh water to cover. Cooking maybe done using a regular pot, a pressure cooker or an instant pot. Lentils maybe cooked a day or two ahead and reserved in the fridge until ready to prepare the soup.

Heat a large pot over medium heat. 

Add  the cumin seeds, and when they begin to change color and begin to be fragrant, add onion with a pinch of salt, and cook covered until soft but not browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes over low heat. Sprinkle a little water if the onions dry out.

Stir in the garlic and carrot and cook covered, stirring occasionally for a few seconds.

Add the tomato into the onion mixture and cook for a minute or two, stirring well until hot and well mixed.

Add the thyme, turmeric, and cayenne if using, cooked lentils with the cooking broth, salt, and freshly ground pepper.

Stir in extra boiling water as needed to get the right consistency. Bring the soup to a boil. 

When the soup comes a boil, lower the heat, and simmer partially covered for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally. 

Turn off the heat, stir in the parsley, cover, and let rest for 5-10 minutes. 

Taste the soup and add more seasonings if needed. Add the parsley or cilantro.

Serve hot by itself or over freshly cooked rice or other grains and pass lemon wedges if desired.

Enjoy!!