Lentil Soup

Nothing is better than a hot bowl of soup on a chilly cold day which was what we had here yesterday. Lentil soup fits the bill.
A good way to add garlic to a dish is to saute it in it's skin in a bit of oil until the skin turns crisp.  Remove it from the oil and the skins will fall off and then you can just mash it and add it along with the other ingredients.  Plus it flavors your oil as it cooks.

Always rinse your lentils before adding them to the soup.

Here is the recipe:

Lentil Soup
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 1 Yellow Onion
  • 4 Carrots
  • 4 stalks Celery
  • 3 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 Cups Lentils
  • 1 tbsp Cumin
  • 2 qt Vegetable Broth or Chicken Broth (I also added 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 2 whole sprigs Thyme
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
Serves: 6-8

Set a large, dry dutch oven over medium heat and drop in the Garlic cloves with their peels still on. Let them toast for a few minutes on each side, until the skins are browned and fragrant, and set aside.
Roughly chop the Onion, Carrots, and Celery. Add the Olive Oil to the dutch oven and saute until browned and tender.
Peel and smash up the Garlic and add it back to the pot, along with the Lentils and Cumin. Cook for a few seconds, until the lentils are nicely coated in oil. Empty the Broth into the pot and add the Bay Leaf and whole sprigs of Thyme. Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Fish out the Bay Leaf and Thyme.

This soup is good served with some cheese crisps.  Just slice some bread, brush with butter, sprinkle with garlic salt and some grated cheese of your choice. Place in a 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.
Body warmer in a bowl.

Comments

I should eat more lentils.
Susan said…
Lentil soup is my absolute favorite soup. Thanks for the garlic tip - I will try it!
Nellie said…
Love lentil soup here! This sounds wonderful!
Leanne said…
thanks this looks yum, autumn is a coming and we will be back to warming foods.
Anonymous said…
this sounds wonderful as do the pop tarts, such a good mum you are,,
Leanna said…
I love lentil soup. My mother makes it but it's nothing like mine. I also use homemade chicken broth. She doesn't. I need to make some this weekend.
Anonymous said…
Soup is always right but is not needed to warm me up, it's just too warm for that :-) Nights are cold now though, last night was probably one of the coldest we've had this winter.

Have a great day!
Christer.
Guillaume said…
I love hearty soups, with a piece of bread on the side. So filling, perfect on a cold day.
TARYTERRE said…
Looks yummy. My hubby's favorite soup is crushed lentil, so I'll have to try this.
1st Man said…
OK, synchronicity is awesome. We just made a big pot of lentil soup/stew, a very similar recipe actually, last night and I snapped pics to make a post about it, ha.

Looks delicious!! And so good on a cold night. I'll post it up next week. :-)
Barb said…
I love a good lentil soup. I did not know about rinsing them first. Thanks for the information.
Jim said…
Presto! Lentil soup!
I like the 'new to me' way of cooking/heating garlic. Will try this for sure.
You are right, nothing like lentil soup on a cold day.....fits the bill here today!!
thanks.
Joyce..this is great for a nice Sunday evening dinner with Pat and cheryl.. I can't wait to try this on them. :)