Note: I was sent a box of various Bob’s Red Mill products to make the below recipe. Opinions are mine alone.
Lentils are one of those foods that I wish I had experimented with earlier in my cooking. They are easy to cook, really tasty, and packed with nutritional goodness. Just one serving (1/4 cup) of red lentils has 14g of fiber and 13g of protein. Red lentils in particular are great for soups and stews because they cook really quickly and break down when heated, making for a nice thickened base.
This Lemony Red Lentil Soup is adapted from a New York Times Cooking recipe. I mostly kept to the original recipe, but increased the spice and lemon and added in another carrot.
The half chunky half smooth soup is super comforting and makes for a really satisfying lunch or dinner. 
My friend and I made this during our cooking day and froze it for future meals.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground chile powder, plus more for garnish
- 1 quart chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Red Lentils
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- The juice and zest of 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes or until softened and golden.
Add in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder, stirring to evenly combine.
Add the broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrots. Bring to a simmer. Partially cover your pot and turn the heat down to low to keep at a low simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
Remove about 2 cups of the mixture and puree using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender.
Add the pureed soup back to the pot and mix to combine.
Remove the soup from heat and stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and cilantro.
To serve, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and top with a pinch of chile powder and freshly chopped cilantro. To freeze, spoon into freezer friendly containers and let cool completely before adding to your freezer.
This soup is SO satisfying. The added lemon brightens up the soup quite a bit, so it doesn’t feel overly heavy.
But don’t let that trick you, this is a very filling meal! The red lentils will definitely keep you full!
To see more of the recipes we made from our epic cooking day (all freezer friendly), check out my Chili post!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground chile powder, plus more for garnish
- 1 quart chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Red Lentils
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- The juice and zest of 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes or until softened and golden.
- Add in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder, stirring to evenly combine.
- Add the broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrots. Bring to a simmer. Partially cover your pot and turn the heat down to low to keep at a low simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove about 2 cups of the mixture and puree using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender.
- Add the pureed soup back to the pot and mix to combine.
- Remove the soup from heat and stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and cilantro.
- To serve, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and top with a pinch of chile powder and freshly chopped cilantro. To freeze, spoon into freezer friendly containers and let cool completely before adding to your freezer.
