How to Make Red Lentil Soup

Lentil soup is a satisfying side or meal.

Red lentil soup is hot and spicy. If you serve it with pita bread and garnish the soup with plain yogurt, the combination makes a great vegetarian meal. It takes about three hours to prepare and serves six to eight people. Here is how to make this delicious soup. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups (8 ounces) dried red lentils
• water
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 can (14-16 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon plain yogurt per person
• 1 sprig fresh cilantro per person
• Soup pot
• Frying pan
• Colander
• Potato Masher

Instructions

1. Reconstitute the red lentils by placing them in a soup pot and covering them with water so that there is twice the volume of water as there are beans. Bring the lentils to a boil. Turn the heat down so that the beans are simmering. Stir as needed to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom. If the water is absorbed before the lentils are soft, add more. When the lentils are soft, drain the lentils in a colander and rinse them in cold water. Set them aside.

2. Prepare the vegetables. Peel and finely chop the onions. Chop the peppers. Saute them with the garlic in the olive oil until all the vegetables are soft --it takes about 10 minutes. Keep stirring to make the vegetables cook evenly.

3. Combine the cooked lentils and the prepared vegetables in a clean soup pot. Add the canned diced tomatoes with all of the liquid in the can. Add water until the soup pot is filled to within two inches of the top. Bring the red lentil soup to a boil. Then turn the heat down to simmer.

4. Add the cumin, curry powder, dried red pepper and salt, adjusting the seasoning to taste. Stir the soup. Let it reduce ( cook the water out so that the soup thickens). As the soup thickens, the vegetables and the red lentils will combine into a kind of paste-like consistency which you can assist by mashing it from time to time with a potato masher. You can add water if the soup gets too thick. Keep cooking this soup over low heat, stirring occasionally, and adjusting its thickness by adding water as needed for about two hours.

5. Serve generous portions in soup bowls. Top the soup with a tablespoon of plain yogurt and with a sprig of fresh cilantro. Serve the soup with warm pita bread and butter.