I found a lot of people saying that Ina Garten’s lentil soup recipe is the best so this is an adaptation of that. She uses a TON of onions, leeks and carrots and 3 quarts of liquid. I could get more than 2 in my pot after all the vegetables so I added another two cups of water after it boiled down a bit.
- 2 cups French green or black lentils
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, chopped
- 2 leeks, chopped (white part only, or maybe a little green too if they are tender)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper or to taste
- 1/4 cup good olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 6 – 8 stalks of celery, diced
- 4 – 6 carrots, diced
- handful of chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 1.5 – 3 quarts vegetable or chicken stock (or split with water)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Step 1: In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain if the lentils don’t absorb all of the liquid.
Step 2: Heat olive oil in your largest stockpot on medium heat. Saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin until the vegetables are very tender – about 20 minutes.
Step 3: Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes.
Step 4: Add the stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through.
Check the seasonings. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.
