Red Lentil Soup Recipe

My friend Susan asked me recently if I had a good red lentil recipe. I do and was matter-of-factly thinking about making lentils sometime soon but not necessarily red ones as I didn?t have any handy.

She seriously got me thinking about them; pondering how much time I would save and how much prettier my soup would be if I used red lentils instead of the more common green ones?not that I?m bashing the green ones now; I've always loved them too and I?m not one to defame things after loving them for so long. So I bought a pound of the red and sure enough they cooked in half the time and looked simply gorgeous in the bowls.

If you like mildly spicy, this soup is perfect for you; if you want spicier slice the jalapeno in half to let it release more heat. If you want it completely mild, leave out the jalapeno or replace it with a bell pepper.

A seriously good soup!


Red Lentil Soup Recipe

4 servings

3 sausages of your choice, casings removed
1 medium red onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cups red lentils
1 cup tomato puree
5 cups vegetable broth or water
1 jalapeño
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium soup pot, sauté the sausage, red onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the sausage is browned and crumbled, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the lentils, tomato puree, vegetable broth and jalapeno. Season the soup with cumin, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.