So the story behind this recipe is that I have always been a fan of lentil soup but since it is a legume I found it intimidating to even attempt to make my own. One day I was talking over the phone with my little sister and she told me she just made lentil soup (usually I am the risky one cooking but here was my little sister "one upping" me in the kitchen) I asked her if it was hard she told me not at all...Couple of weeks went by and I found myself staring at the legume section in the supermarket.
Turns out lentils are really cheap! A 1LB bag was about $2.00; And trust me my friends this bag will last you for a couple of large pots of soup. Ok so here I had my lentils what do I do now? Do I soak them? Do I just throw them in the pot? What ingredients pair up? so many questions! so I need what many of us do I headed over to Pinterest. There were so many wonderful lentil recipes out there, however I did not have time to soak them or have certain ingredients the recipe called for; I ended up just closing the whole thing and heading to the kitchen
I started of with the base of all my soup recipes half an onion half, of a Cuban pepper, two carrots and 1 and 1/2 celery stalk. This was interesting! the aromatics of the base always get me to a great inventive start. I had some mushrooms so I threw them in as well, no need to use in your recipe if not a fan of mushrooms; I am though.
I cracked open my sofrito bottle (it's just a herb seasoning we use in PR) usually found in the Latin food section and added some minced garlic. Here comes the lentils! and yes ladies and gentlemen I did not pre-soak or pre-boiled these babies just threw them in! Of course I did cleaned them and thoroughly searched for pebbles or other parts of the pod they do tend to get in the bag.
I left them simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes and some may say I over cooked them but honestly I like them more on the mushier side since it makes the soup more hearty. This was a hit for me! Super flavorful! It was easy; I used what I had in my refrigerator and it was quick. I usually do a pot full that will last me 2 or 3 days I do not like to keep it more than that. And you could variate the vegetables you could add potatoes, pumpkin, spinach whatever you have on hand as long as you like it. This is it folks have fun especially on this season which we all crave the warmth of a bowl of soup
Ingredients
1/2 onion
1/2 Cuban pepper
2 carrots
1 1/2 celery stalks
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cup of lentils (thoroughly clean and rinsed)
2 cups of water or vegetable broth for more flavor
1/2 teaspoon of garlic
salt and pepper
Procedure
1. Add olive oil to stock pot and butter
2. Add onions and pepper
3. Add carrots and celery
4. Slightly cook ingredients
5. Add lentils
6. Add broth or water
7. Stir and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes careful not to let it dry up if you find it to dry is ok to add more water
8. Serve and enjoy with some homemade croutons!
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