Lentil Soup
Most people I know don’t eat lentils, or go so far as to say that they don’t like lentils. I take that to mean they’ve never had them or only had them out of a can. This soup is how I converted my wife from a, “I don’t like lentils” person to a, well, “This soup is delicious,” person. She knows there’s lentils in it, obviously, but other than this soup she doesn’t exactly ask me to make lentils very often. It’s a start.
This simple mirepoix (onions, celery and carrots) with beef stock and tomato paste makes the basis for a lot of complex soups with flavorful depth. Curiously, it is also the basis for Campbell’s vegetable soup, which I ate copious amounts of as a vegetarian, pleading ignorant to this fact. Ahem.
In frugal times, lentils are an incredibly nutritious and filling protein source, eaten throughout the world in regions where meat is scarce, forbidden, or too expensive. Lentils are deficient in methionine and cystine, so they’re technically not a complete protein source like meat, but this soup is just as hearty and comforting as a warm bowl of beef and barley.
- 1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup lentils (I use half green and half brown)
- 4 cups beef or vegetable stock (or water!)
- 2-3 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
- Heat butter or oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until translucent.
- Add the garlic, carrots, celery and tomato paste and stir to coat. Cook for one minute.
- Add the lentils and cover the contents with stock, toss in the sprigs of thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to the simmer and cook, covered, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes, depending on the lentil.
There may be more or less evaporation or absorbtion of the liquid depending on the dimensions and size of your pot and the dryness of the lentils. Add a bit more water as necessary to achieve a souplike consistency, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf before serving. Like with beans, it is a myth that lentils will be hard if cooked with salt, and it is not necessary to pre-soak them.