OH. MY. LENTIL
HAPPY Hump day! Grab a spoon and dive into this hearty & delightful Lentil Black bean soup!
One major thing you will learn by following my blog, is that I am OBSESSED with soup. Sometimes I feel like I could actually eat soup every day for the rest of my life and be happy. BUT fortunately, there are way too many other scrumptious meals that need to be tried- and cooked. :)
If you don't eat meat, or do and just feel you are occasionally lacking iron/protein, this soup is packed with both, and super filling. This recipe is that creative smoky spin you want on your favorite basic lentil soup, plus you have the option to make this vegan- just deduct the sour cream topping! I was so lucky to find this original recipe on Cookin' Canuck and boy am I happy I did.
Anyway, enough blabbering. See below and enjoy! Thanks for reading xx S.
I N G R E D I E N T S:
- 1 medium onion
- 2 large stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 tsp smoked paprika- your preference for taste
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- 1 dry pint of cherry tomatoes + 1 Tbs of tomato paste
- 1 cup dried green lentils
- 4¾ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained & rinsed
- dried parsley to top
- 1/2 lemon (optional)
- 1-2 Tbs olive oil (for sautéing)
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sour cream to top!
PREPARE: Chop the onion, celery, and garlic and set aside. By hand, dice the cherry tomatoes- or if you have a food processor/blender, you can quickly dice them in that. Save the juices and do not drain.
GET COOKIN: Heat olive oil over medium heat in large pot, and when hot, add celery and onion. Stir often to prevent burning and sticking, and cook until soften/translucent. I generally cook for about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, black pepper, red pepper flakes (to your preference on how spicy you prefer), & bay leaves, and saute for a minute or so, just to get those flavors kicking! [Note: Take in & enjoy the mouth watering aromas here. mmmm]
COMBINE: Add 3 cups of broth, 3 cups of water, lentils, diced tomatoes with juices, and tomato paste. Mix well, increase heat to High and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook covered for about 25-30 minutes, or until lentils are cooked through/tender. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent sticking!
FINISH: Once lentils are cooked through, turn off heat and let sit uncovered for about 10 minutes. Needs to cool down a bit before we puree. Remove bay leaves, and scoop out about half the soup into a large mixing bowl. Add half the beans, balance of broth(if you need to thin out a bit), and puree to preferred consistency -I like to leave it a little chunky! Add pureed mixture back to balance of soup, along with the remainder of beans & half lemon. Stir all together really well and add salt and pepper to taste. Finally(!), heat through and serve.
**If you want a little thicker, add more tomato paste when heating through. If you want thinner, add more broth
I like to add a dollop of sour cream here and sprinkle some dried parsley for extra flavor. If you really love the lemon tanginess like I do, top with some lemon zest as well. I know it sounds funky, but TRUST me- it really brings out a rich, deep flavor. ENJOY and share!