I was very hungry and wanted something fast on Monday night, so I decided to make lentil soup. I adapted it the tiniest bit from the Lentil Soup recipe at RecipeTin Eats, because I had less than half the lentils the recipe called for and I don’t like celery; I reduced the amount of liquid, added a potato, and substituted celery seed for the fresh celery (all the celery taste, no unused celery hanging out in the fridge.)
It turns out I like it this way, and it would be great over rice. It’s much better the next day, and the original recipe says that it freezes well.
Use bottled crushed tomatoes, if you can get them; I find that canned tomatoes have an unpleasantly bitter/acidic taste unless you simmer them for quite a long time. Pretty much any lentils except French lentils are fine; French lentils stay firmer and hold their shape more than others, so they’re great in salads but not so great in soups or stews.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 1 yellow potato, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 cup green lentils
- 400 mL (14 fl. oz.) crushed tomatoes
- 900 mL (1 carton) chicken or vegetable broth
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes, adding the carrot and potato as they are chopped.
- Add the spices and cook for another minute.
- Add the lentils, tomatoes, and broth and simmer for 35 minutes or until the lentils are as soft as you want them.
- Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Serve over rice or plain.
Makes 6 servings.
Unobservant Bird 