Mexican Red Lentil Soup

Yummy!

Healthy!

Easy to make!

What else do you want?

This soup was easy and came together in under an hour.  We will definitely make this one again. We had dinner for two with this recipe, plus another 6-8 servings ready to go in the freezer, perfect for a lunch or a starter on a cold night.

A word about the canned tomatoes, you could easily used diced tomatoes with green chilies, or just regular diced. I only had an Italian spiced diced tomato, so I used that.  If you had people that don't like bigger chunks of tomatoes, used either crushed tomatoes or petite diced instead.

If you don't want it too spicy, you can omit the jalapenos and the hot sauce! I like everything kind of spicy though.

Makes about 8-12 servings (Freezes well)

Ingredients:

2 cup dry red lentils

4 cups water

1 T olive oil

3/4 cup onion, finely chopped

3/4 cup finely chopped celery

3/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/4 cup jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)

1 1/2 T minced garlic

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken if not doing a vegan soup)

1 T. hot sauce (optional)

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 – 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Serve with additional lime wedges, sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro

Put red lentils in a small pot, rinse and drain if needed, then add 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, turn off heat and cover. Let lentils sit in the hot water 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop onions and celery and mince garlic. Heat olive oil in heavy soup pot, add onion and celery and saute for 3-4 minutes, just long enough that vegetables are starting to soften. Add garlic and cook a few minutes more. Add ground turmeric, ground cumin, and chili powder, stir, and cook 1-2 minutes more.

Add diced canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, and hot sauce. Add lentils after they have soaked for 30 minutes.

Let soup simmer for 15-30 minutes (or until lentils are as soft as you’d like them, about 25 minutes.) When the lentils are softened as much as you’d like, stir in chopped cilantro and lime juice and cook 5 minutes more. If it seems too thick for your liking, add a bit of water and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve hot, with additional cut limes to squeeze into the soup. Can top with sour cream or vegan substitute if desired.

It was a great soup to enjoy on a very snowy day!