Easy Red Lentil Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Boil red lentils and water for one hour.
• Chop celery, carrots and garlic.
• Add stock and water to pot of lentils.
• Add celery, carrots and garlic to pot of lentils.
• Bring to boil.
• Add tomato paste, cayenne pepper and salt.
• Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Serve the thick, rich soup and enjoy!
• Add more or less stock and/or water depending on how thick/thin you like your soup.

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the ghee or oil over medium-high. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until golden and a little browned around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the garlic, ginger and cilantro stems. Add a little more ghee or oil if your pot seems dry. Season with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Stir in the cumin, turmeric and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook in the oil to take off its raw edge and deepen its color, stirring frequently and taking care not to burn the paste, about 1 minute.
• Add the lentils and stir to combine. Add 8 cups of water and season with salt (about 1½ tablespoons) and black pepper to taste. Partially cover, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover completely, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot, until the lentils soften, about 15 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cinnamon. Add the tamarind paste or lime juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go to ensure it hits just the right bright and tangy notes to balance the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes more, until all the flavors meld.
• Garnish with the reserved cilantro leaves and serve with flatbread or rice, if desired.

Steps:

• Start by putting the lentils in a sieve and rinsing them under cold water to remove some of the excess starch.
• Heat the oil in a pot and add in the onions. Turn the heat down to low and leave the onions to gently cook until soft and translucent, about 5-10 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato purée until all the onions have been coated and cook for about 2 minutes.
• Next, add in the red pepper and mix in with the onions.
• In the meantime, dissolve the two stock cubes in a litre of boiling water.
• Add the red lentils and the ham stock to the pot and stir. Leave the soup to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• If you would like to purée the soup, do so now. I like to give it a few quick pulses with my stick blender to remove any large chunks of onion or pepper, but don´t purée it until completely smooth.
• Season the soup to taste with chilli flakes (if you like a little spice), salt and pepper.
• Serve hot, with some crusty bread and butter. The soup can also be easily reheated the next day or frozen.