I finally tired red lentils in this soup. The lentils, along with the fresh lemon added before serving, really make this recipe pop! If you haven't tried red lentils yet, make this soup!
Red Lentil Soup With Lemon
Adapted from New York Times Cooking
3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chile powder (or cayenne pepper), more to taste
6 cups water
Morga vegetable bouillon
1 cup red lentils
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
Juice of ½ lemon, more to taste
In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder (or cayenne), and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
Add broth, 2 cups water and lentils and carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Using an immersion or regular blender, or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.
