Carrot and Lentil Soup

I have always looked forward to grocery shopping, even when I was a kid.  It’s like a treasure hunt; combing the aisles, you never know what you might find!  Now that I’m older, I enjoy it even more because I decide what gets to come home with me and what stays at the store (yes, I’m talking about you, Malt-o-Meal).  The other day while I was in the produce section, something caught my eye: a bag of steamed lentils.  Honestly, at that moment, lentils kind of intimidated me, they didn’t sound overly yummy and I’d imagined they would be tricky to deal with.  I decided to buy the lentils anyway, just to be adventurous and to try something new.  

Over the next few days, I looked around online to find ideas on what to do with these lentils, but nothing really tickled my fancy.  I found many recipes for Spicy Lentils and Curry Lentils, but I wanted to save experimenting with curry for another time.  Then, I remembered that my dad used to put lentils in soup.  Bingo, that’s what I would do!  So I gathered up what I had in my kitchen and made one the most easy and tasty soups ever.

Note: Since my lentils were steamed, I didn’t need to cook them before putting them in the soup.  If you buy dried lentils, you will need to cook them first, but it’s pretty easy.  Here’s a quick article on how to cook lentils.  Dried lentils are more pocketbook friendly than their pre-steamed friends.  Also, if you are watching your sodium intake, you’re controlling how salty the water you cook the lentils in is.

Another thing that should be noted, is that there are many types of lentils.  Some stand up well to cooking, while others become soft and mushy while being cooked.  Since this is a soup, it doesn’t matter if the lentils stay firm or become soft, unless you have a preference.  Because it doesn’t matter, this is a great time to experiment!

Carrot and Lentil Soup

5-6 medium carrots

1 large onion

2-3 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

14.5 ounce can of veggie broth

14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes

Roughly 4 cup of cooked lentils

1 cup of milk, or to your liking

1 cup of water, or to your liking

Salt and seasonings to your liking (I used Rosemary and a gourmet seasoning packet)

Shredded cheese (optional)

1.  Peel and chop your onion and carrots.  Add them into a large pot with the olive oil and sauté until the carrots are soft and the onions are translucent.

2. Turn the stove’s heat to medium and add the diced tomatoes, veggie broth and lentils.  Then, add milk, water, and seasoning to taste.  

3. Bring the pot up to a rolling boil, then let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.  

4. Serve.  Garnish with shredded cheese on top if desired.

(Not to point out the obvious, but by using a non-dairy milk and cheese will keep this soup vegan friendly.)

Up close and personal...yummy!

There you have it and it’s so simple!  This soup isn’t the most photogenic dish I’ve ever made, but it makes up for it with how good it tastes. And when I had leftovers the next day, the soup was even tastier, so make yourself a double batch and save some for later.  Enjoy!