Hola Mi Gente,
I’m getting ready to make my appointment for my wisdom teeth removal here soon, which inevitable has me thinking about one thing: soft foods. If I’m honest, I’ve been putting this appointment off all year because the thought of a month of soft food is seriously hard for me. But then, my mom sent me a Vitamix this week, so I feel like I’m running out of excuses 😂
The thing about soft food is, I often think about it being bland, but it doesn’t have to be! This red lentil soup is the perfect example of that. I first had a soup similar to this in Turkey. Actually, up till then I’m embarrassed to say that I’d never even seen red lentils before. The first big meal we sat down to eat in Ankara, we started with bowls of soup that look and taste a lot like this soup. In fact most places have a çorba option (soup). Anytime I find a Turkish restaurant, I scan the menu for that word, because Turkish soup is SO full of flavor, and so soothing, that I can’t imagine a Turkish eating experience without it.
What makes this soup delicious? It’s packed full of herbs and spices, and sprinkled with lemon juice so that each spoonful is an explosion of flavor. Because red lentils tend to soften up a lot more than green lentils, this soup is ideal when it’s blended–which also means you can pack it full of veggies if you want, and blend it into a beautifully smooth texture that won’t spook even the pickiest of eaters.
I love this soup with a little bit of buttered toast, a salad, and a sprinkle of lemon to draw out the flavors. I also tend tend to love to put an extra little hint of black pepper in my soup, because I like it a little on the spicier end. Feel free to serve this as a first course to kind of open the palette, or grab yourself a full bowl and enjoy!
Love, love, love,
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Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- Oil to saute herbs and vegetables
- 1 Large Onion diced
- 3 Large Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 Carrots Finely chopped
- 2 TBSP Tomato Paste
- 3/4 TSP Dried Mint
- 1/4 TSP Fresh Oregano
- 1/4 TSP Fresh Thyme
- 2 TSP Ground Black Pepper
- 1 TSP Smoked Paprika
- 2 TSP Cumin
- 1.5 C Dry Red Lentils
- 7 C Vegetable Stock
- Salt To Taste
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven pan over medium heat and add oil. Once oil is hot, add the onion and cook for three minutes. Add in garlic, and carrots and sauté together for two minutes. Stir in tomato paste, mint, oregano, thyme, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin until combined. Pour in lentils and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 35 minutes, or until lentils are soft. Taste and adjust for salt as needed. Blend soup, and serve with fresh lemon and a sprinkle of fresh paprika.
Mary-Beth Johnson
Mary-Beth is a creative, food-obsessed, Georgia transplant living Chicago. She is proudly and fiercely Latina, and more specifically Chapina. In her day to day she is a food educator to students around Chicagoland aged 3 to 80+, both virtually and in-person. She is passionate about cultivating the truth that every person has an understanding of food that deserves being brought to the table, and that time in the kitchen can be sacred, passionate, and an act of love for self and others. Outside the kitchen you can find her at the intersections of infertility, chronic illness, and a deep love for the dignity of all humans. She hopes to create a space that is holistic about the role of food in the social, political, relational, and physiological dynamics of our world.
