Red Lentil Soup Recipe

Fall is the perfect time for soup. When it starts getting colder outside, there’s nothing like a steaming bowl of delicious soup to warm your bones. The bulk of this recipe came from my mother-in-law whom I bought these red lentils with. Lentils are a healthy way to prepare your meals and they are incredibly easy to make. This soup reminded me of a soup I tried at a Middle Eastern restaurant once – they served it with a squeeze of lemon and warm pita bread, so I decided to garnish the dish the same. It worked out nicely. I also added cumin because I thought it would go well with the rest of the ingredients, and it truly did.

Not only is this soup good for your palate, it is good for your pocketbook, too. If you’re looking for a healthy and inexpensive meal that will feed you for an entire week, this is it.

Red lentil soup garnished with lemon wedges

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups of organic chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 3 stalks of celery diced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 large yellow onion diced
• 2 cups of red lentils
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 lemon cut into quarters (for garnish on top)

Directions

1. Using olive oil, saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a large pot
2. Add in lentils, broth, cumin and salt
3. Bring to a boil
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour
5. Serve hot with a squeeze from a wedge of lemon along with warm pita bread