It is still winter here in New York and living in Rochester makes it feel like winter is the only season that exists. When it is so cold outside, all you can do is stare out the window and wish the snow away, but then you come to realize that the snow magically disappearing is just not going to happen, so the only thing left to do is to go into your kitchen and make a hearty bowl of any kind of soup to warm up your body and soul.
I love red lentil soup. It’s hearty, filling, and very healthy. I was even surprised to discover how much protein is in red lentils, makes me feel even better about making this soup for dinner! This soup is really spicy, but if you are not a fan of “spicy” then just omit the paprika and cayenne pepper. Everyone makes red lentil soup slightly different. It is common to see this soup as a puree, but I love to chew the little beans so I like mine a little chunky. However you like your lentil soup, be sure to try out this recipe because the flavors blend really well together, trust me, you won’t regret it! Enjoy!
Spicy Red Lentil Soup
Spicy Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped,
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
- ¼ green pepper, chopped
- 1 green chili pepper (optional)
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bullion cube
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Instructions
- Pour vegetable stock and water into a pot and set aside.
- Peel and grate ginger and set aside.
- Chop celery, carrots, onion, garlic, green peppers, and tomatoes, saute on medium heat in a pot, with 2 tablespoon canola oil. Add ginger and chili pepper. When vegetables are soft, add 2 cups stock/water mixture to the pot and puree with a hand mixer. You can also pour stock/water and vegetables into a blender to make it smooth OR if you like your soup chunky, do not bother with pureeing!
- Once soup is pureed, add rest of stock to the pot along with all the spices, salt and black pepper and red lentils.
- Let mixture boil for 25 minutes on low heat to allow flavors to develop and meld together. Add more salt if needed. let lentils boil to desired softness. You will notice the soup getting thicker as it cooks slowly.
- Remove from heat and garnish with paprika.
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The Self-Taught Cook says
Sounds great! I'll be trying this one!
Anjy says
Post something new already!!
Rick & Megan says
i have 2 questions? 1st is the chili pepper cut up or whole and it just get blended with seeds and all? 2nd what flavor is the boullion cube..
i would like to make this dish for dinner tonight and i have one vegetarian and 3 meat eaters so i'm wondering.. thanks it looks so yummy
Back to Black says
How big is the bag of pre-cut veggies? I had some in the fridge but I don't know if it turned out to the same amount as your brand. I'm cooking this now. O_O *crosses fingers*
Abby M. Locke says
I love Wegmans! So I cannot wait to try this recipe.
Abby