Vegetarian Green Lentil Soup

• Tweet

• Tweet

lentil soup

Inexpensive, filling, and good, this vegetarian lentil soup takes many variations. All will warm you on a gray winter’s day. Pull it together with green lentils from the pantry and vegetables on hand. I always have carrots and onions, and usually celery and parsley, too.

This is an oversized recipe adapted from the original Moosewood Cookbook that will feed a crowd or provide plenty of leftovers. I simmer it in a tall stockpot. Moosewood called for its lentil soup to simmer for three to four hours. I guess people had more free time back in the 70’s. While an hours-long simmer would be lovely, you can make this soup in just over an hour if you want.

Sauteing the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in olive oil first, then adding them to the soup, would also be lovely. I often do that to add caramelized flavor to the soup, but I’ve given directions for the faster method of starting the lentils and then adding the vegetables directly to the pot. If you have time to saute the vegetables in olive oil, start with the longer-cooking ones like the carrots and onions, then the celery, and only put the garlic in for a couple of minutes at the end (or not at all).

You will need to add more water to the soup as it simmers. Lentil soup can easily become very thick, which my family dislikes, so I add water at the end to get a thinner consistency.

Serve the lentil soup with chopped scallions or parsley on top. If you use dairy it’s excellent topped with a dollop of sour cream. This recipe yields enough for eight, but go ahead and make it big even if you are just feeding a few people. It’s even better the next day.

This is good with fresh or dried herbs like basil, oregano, or parsley. I sometimes use leftover pasta sauce for the tomato sauce. Do use green lentils, not hulled orange lentils which will become too mushy. The green lentils hold their shape and provide texture to the soup.

Lentil Soup

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

75 mins

Total time

1 hour 35 mins

 

af

Author: Mary Saylor

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 3 cups green lentils
• water to cover amply
• 1½ cups carrots, chopped
• 1½ cups yellow onion, chopped
• 1½ cups celery, chopped, or celery root, peeled and cubed, or 1 Tbs. celery seed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 Tbsp.)
• 1-2 cups diced tomatoes or tomato sauce
• 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice (juice of ½ lemon)
• 1½ Tbs. brown sugar or molasses
• salt to taste (around 2 tsp.)
• pepper
• 1 or 2 Tbsp. dried herbs such as basil, oregano, or parsley, or ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, chives, or scallions for the soup plus more fresh herbs/scallions for the garnish.

Instructions

1. Look over the lentils to check for pebbles, rinse, put in large stockpot with an ample amount of water (so the water is more than twice as high in the pot as the level of the lentils).
2. Bring to a boil and then simmer. While it will likely take only 30 to 45 minutes for the lentils to become soft, longer cooking is better for bringing the flavors of the soup together. As the soup simmers, add water as necessary to get your preferred consistency.
3. Meanwhile chop the vegetables. I cut the carrots into coins which means they require at least 30 minutes of simmering to be ready. So I add the vegetables to the pot at least 30 minutes before serving time.
4. When you add the vegetables, also add the tomato sauce and all the other above ingredients. If you are going to add dried herbs like parsley, oregano, or basil, add a teaspoon or two now with the other ingredients. If you are going to use fresh herbs, wait until about 15 minutes before serving.
5. Just before serving, taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Garnish with chopped scallions, chives, or parsley.

3.2.1275

Tagged as: green lentils