I have a confession to make, I can eat lentil soup everyday! what makes it even more appealing to me is how quick it is to prepare making it a great option when you are short on time and need a filling healthful meal.
Lentils are rich in plant based iron and protein and the best part is they are affordable. For this recipe I am using red lentils because they cook fast and become soft but if you want lentils to retain their shape then you should go for the brown or green variety.
You will find turmeric in the ingredient list, it is the reason the soup comes out bright yellow and gives this soup the added bonus of containing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.
It is in my opinion the queen of all soups!
The Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil.
- 1 cup dry red lentils (rinse clean with water).
- 1 medium cooking onion.
- 1 small garlic clove.
- ½ tsp ground cumin.
- Juice of a ½ lemon.
- Sea salt and pepper to taste.
- ½ tsp ground turmeric.
- 4 cups boiling water (you can use homemade stock but I always use water and it turns out delicious).
Method
1- Place oil in a cooking pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic and cook till onion is tender (about 5 minutes).
2- Add salt & pepper.
3- Place lentils inside and mix well with the onions and let them cook for a minute.
4- Add cumin and water and wait till its boiling again and then lower the heat and let it simmer (it takes about 20 minutes for the lentils to cook).
5- Once lentils are soft, add the turmeric and mix well.
6- Add the lemon juice and give it a quick taste test and adjust salt if needed.
7- This is an optional step but I usually use a hand-held mixer to turn the soup into a creamy texture but you can keep it as it is with the lentils texture.
8- Let the soup simmer on low heat for an additional 10 minutes. If you are happy with the thickness (I like it relatively on the thicker side) then you can keep it but if you prefer thinner texture then add more hot water but do it gradually to avoid having a bland watery soup.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Traditionally lentil soup is served with fried pita bread but you can either toast some in the oven, use gluten free rice crackers or skip it entirely for a lighter version.