Red Lentil Soup

Red Lentil Soup

Here’s a nice red lentil soup for the chilly fall/winter days ahead. It’s an understated but tasty soup to serve with a nice loaf of sourdough bread.

Red Lentil Soup

Serves 4
 
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 medium-sized onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1.5 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 stalk of celery, sliced thin
1 carrot, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed well
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

 In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat butter and olive oil. When butter melts, add the onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. 

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, cayenne and sauté one minute. Add squash, celery, carrot, broth and lentils.

Bring to a boil and then turn heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until lentils and veggies are soft. 

Add lemon juice, cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.

With a hand immersion blender or regular blender or a food processor, puree half the soup, then add it back to the pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.

A tasty red lentil soup