I honestly don’t know why they call them red lentils.  They are orange when they are uncooked, and more orange-yellowish when they are. We usually prefer brown or green lentils and maybe you don’t know but they are a New Years tradition! You can say it is a little early but I like lentils all year round. However, for soup, you need to try red lentils. They are nuttier and sweeter than either the brown or green variety.

You can use this recipe for all kind of lentils though. I just decided to make the red lentil soup since they look way better in photos than the brown and the green, not to mention how their appearance improves once you blend them.

I didn’t like soups while growing up, particularly lentils – I didn’t like the way they looked!  My grandmother used to cook them quite often and it was a hassle for me to eat them. Kind of trying to negotiate with her random chores in order to avoid them.

Today, nothing makes me feel more at home than a good meal and especially a good soup. Whether it is chicken soup, vegetable, minestrone, etc. I just love soups as they just give me a lot of comfort, at any season. Also, if you think about it, you make a good soup and the rest is simple, a good salad or a sandwich and you’re done!

As I mentioned earlier, it is very traditional in certain regions of Europe and Latin America to eat lentils for new year’s eve. We believe that is a symbol of good luck and good fortune – yes, fortune meaning money. Maybe it is true, maybe not but it won’t hurt to try a good new lentil recipe, right?

You can serve these lentils whole or blended, they are delicious either way. I love them with a drizzle of sour cream (or creme fraiche) or simply olive oil and a few sprinkles of freshly grated parmesan cheese. If by any chance you have naan crisps, by all means just sprinkle them on top as well.

Cin cin!

Red Lentil Soup

Yield: about 8 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup of Lentils
1 leek
1 medium onion, diced or 1 cup
I clove garlic, chopped
3 carrots, diced – about 1 cup

3 celery stalks, diced – about 1/2 to 3/4 cup

1 tbsp fresh thyme

1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

3/4 tsp of turmeric (if using red lentils)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked sweet paprika

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

4  – 5 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 tbsp olive oil

salt +pepper

Instructions

Check lentils for little stones and quality and rinse with water through a colander.

Place olive oil on a medium/large saucepan and add the leeks, onion, carrots, celery and sauté for about 5 – 7 minutes on medium heat, until the onion and leek start to get translucent. Add the garlic and stir for about 2 minutes. Add thyme, cumin and sweet paprika until fragrant. Add lentils and tomato paste, keep stirring and mixing for another minute.

Add chicken or vegetable broth, bay leaf and sun-dried tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, for about 25-30 minutes until lentils are tender and cooked through.

Add vinegar, salt and pepper and adjust as necessary.

You can serve them with fresh herbs, freshly grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil or you could blend them and serve them as soup –  you will probably need more broth to liquify the soup.

 

Nutrition Facts have been calculated based on approximately 8 servings of 1 cup.