Hearty Lentil Vegetable Soup

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Blind Melon: Soup – This is one of my all time favorite albums.  Blind Melon is often viewed as having a single hit about a girl in a bumblebee outfit. This is false information, and listening to this album will correct that false image for you. Simply put, it is an incredible album that showcases the band’s vast talents. Also, listening to this while making your pot of soup will make your soup incredible.

 

 

 

 

Lentil Soup served with Pita Bread

 

SOUP – yum. It doesn’t matter what season, what time of day or what the heck you put in it – I love soup. It is so easy to make, and so fun to experiment with as well. The biggest thing to remember when you are making soup is that anything goes. Just keep adding spices and ingredients – and keep testing it while it simmers. Flavors do change pretty drastically with soup as it cooks. Add salt slowly, because certain vegetables (such as potatoes) will soak it up as they cook. You can always add more – but it’s hard to take out if you’ve put too much in.

 

 

Ingredients:

Base for Broth Ingredients:

You can leave the vegetables in larger pieces. They need to cook down, but they are going to be pureed.

• ½ large red onion (chopped)
• 8 garlic cloves (or 2 T crushed)
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes, or 3-4 large fresh tomatoes. (Skip buying the cans that are pre-seasoned or have added flavors. They tend to also have added sugar and oil.)
• 6-8 celery stems (with the leaves)
• 2 carrots (chopped)
• 1/2 c vinegar  (1/4 balsamic and 1/4 cup red wine is a good blend)
• Parsley (fresh – about ½ cup; or dried – about 3 T)
• 3 T dried oregano
• Sea Salt (about 2 T)

 

Spices for the broth (suggestions only, although I really do get great reviews with these flavors together)

• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 t chili powder
• 1/8 tsp ginger
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 T black pepper
• ½ t turmeric

 Vegetables (Feel free to use these as mere suggestions):

• ½ large red onion, diced finely
• 4-5 celery stalks, diced
• 4-5 small carrots (diced)
• 1 cup lentils (rinsed)
• 2 small sweet potatoes (chopped into ½” pieces)
• 2 cups cauliflower (chopped into ½” pieces)
• 1 ½ cup cabbage (chopped finely)

I add  2 T honey & ¼ cup lime juice to the soup once it has all been put together in the large pot

How we did it:

As with all soups that I make, they are vegetarian and I make my own broth (instead of purchasing the vegetable broth in a can or carton.) This is a really simple process that I learned when living in South America, and I think it adds a better consistency, color and flavor to the broth. Here’s an easy way to make a yummy base for your broth:

1. In a large, deep pan or dutch oven, sauté the onion and garlic in a little bit of olive oil.
2. Add the can of tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes), and add the other veggies and spices so that it can all simmer together.
3. Let it cook for 20 minutes or so, until everything is really cooked and all the ingredients are soft.
4. Place into a blender and puree until smooth. Add water if needed to get a smooth consistency. REMEMBER: If you put anything hot in a blender, you need to take the plastic part out of the lid to the blender. If you do not, the steam will build up and it will explode in your face. Just sayin’ –   watch out!

Directions for the Soup:

You can start the soup while the base for the broth is cooking.

1. In a large pot, heat up a little oil on low.
2. Add the onion and sauté until soft.
3. Stir in the celery and carrots. (I add a little salt and crushed garlic to these veggies while they are cooking.) Let them cook for about 5-10 minutes.
4. When the base for the broth is finished, add it to the onion/celery/carrot mixture.
5. You’ll need to add in about 3-4 cups of water to thin it out as well. Stir it all together, and let it come to a simmer.
6. Add the lentils, and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the sweet potatoes and cauliflower.
7. The soup will get thicker, so you’ll need to add in more water (about a cup at a time.)* When the potatoes and cauliflower seem to be softened, add the cabbage.

All in all, you’ll need probably 6-7 cups of water. You don’t want to add too much at a time, or else you’ll just water down all the great flavor that you just created with the tomato puree. Give the lentils time to soak it up a bit, then maybe add a cup if it’s needed. Then wait until all of the veggies are added and they have had time to soften. If needed, add another cup. Let the soup cook together on a simmer for about 30 minutes, and add more if it gets too thick. Slow and steady wins the race here.

While everything is cooking, taste the flavor of the broth. Add more salt if necessary, as the lentils and other vegetables may soak it up. Start with a ½ tsp at a time. Add more spices if necessary.  When everything has cooked for about 30 minutes, I like to add a couple tablespoons of honey and about a ¼ cup of lime juice.