There are so many reasons to eat lentils. They're inexpensive, easy to cook, and a great source of iron.
Red lentils are beautiful, paper-thin orange jewels that turn into a delicious soup in a relatively short amount of time-about 20 minutes. Add about 10 minutes of prep time for a total of about 30 minutes to have a delicious lunch or dinner soup.
I've been wanting to recreate my grandmother's lentil soup for years, and then I read this recipe and got inspired. Lucky for me, it is a great recipe that I played with to fit what I had on hand and my own taste.
I love the idea of adding a fried or poached egg on top of each bowl and some cashew cheese, crรจme frรขiche, or yogurt. Feel free to add your own additions. Enjoy!
Red Lentil Soup
For SCD, soak the lentils for about 8 hours.This recipe used to have sausages chopped up and added to the soup in step two, so if you eat meat add about two sun dried tomato chicken sausages.
Ingredients
- 2 cups red lentils
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 large onion trimmed, peeled, and diced
- ยผ cup tomato paste
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon thyme fresh; or 1 teaspoon dried
- ยฝ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Place about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a soup pot (with a capacity for at least 10 cups of liquid) and warm on low to medium heat.
- Add the onions, garlic, and tomato paste, and warm for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and bring to a steady simmer.
- Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Enjoy! Store in the refrigerator to be reheated, or freeze for later.
Nutrition
Calories: 362kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 24gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gTrans Fat: 0.003gSodium: 1382mgPotassium: 1101mgFiber: 29gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 871IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 8mg
Debra says
Just made this tonight (minus the sausage) and my entire family loved it and asked that it become a regular menu item. Thanks for the great recipe!
Rebekah says
Really delicious... I used all chicken stock and added a big splash of red wine vinegar, plus a minced serrano pepper. No sausage. Thanks very much ๐
cyn says
Lentils I have learned are SCD legal, but I have found mixed views on how to make them SCD legal, that is soaking them. Is this true that you have to soak them? And if so, how long?
Erica says
Some lentils require soaking and others don't. Most of the lentils I purchase don't have to be soaked - so I guess ready the label.
Julie says
I have found out that for SCD even red lentils need to be soaked, no matter what the package says. So maybe that's why your family did not tolerate the lentil soup.
Erica says
Letha, thanks! I am beginning to realize that red lentils are great for thickening soups, rather than making them the primary ingredient. Some of my family couldn't tolerate the soup, so less focus on the lentils and more on other vegetables would be a great next step.
Letha says
When I make lentil soup I use half red lentils and half french lentils. I LOVE the results, seems like the best of both worlds to me. The red lentils sort of melt into the soup and the french lentils retain their bite. Yum. I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I've been using one from the Joy of Cooking for years, and while normally yummy, when I started going 50/50 on the lentils it reached new hights.
Tracey says
I made this the other day (minus the sausage). My husband and I ate the whole batch in less than two days! It was delicious.
Erica says
Good to hear, Nancy ๐
Nancy Jackson says
I just wanted to say that I made this last week and it was delicious! I had 4 scrumptious lunches in the week. Didn't add sausage or anything else - just the soup - and finally I had a comfy belly!
Erica says
Danielle, for SCD sausage I recommend getting ground meat and seasoning it yourself - I know, a lot of work. Some brands work for me, but read the label (I'm not 100% SCD anymore) to make sure it's ok.
These sausages might work for you: http://www.applegatefarms.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?id=1658
Erica says
Thanks Karen!
Karen says
Another inspiring picture and recipe...just beautiful!
Danielle says
The soup looks great. Have you found an SCD legal sausage by chance?
Erica says
Hey Ann! Which lentils do you usually use? From my searches, it looks like French lentils are the green lentils. Take a look at the link to the wiki on lentils above in the text. It seems like some lentils have the husk on and others don't. The red and white don't have the husk on. There's quite a variety. I want to try white lentils as well - mostly because they cook faster than others. I also had no idea that Washington state is one of the biggest producers of lentils.
This link has a nice list of the many varieties: http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com/Lentils.htm
Ann says
Erica, This looks fabulous. I can't wait to try it. I have been making my mom's lentil soup for years. It is also terrific, but this looks like a nice change. A question for you: What are the differences among red lentils, "French lentils", and the regular lentils. Not even sure what those are called, but I am thinking of the olive green/brown ones found so easily at the grocery store.