Lentil Soup with Lemon

[songbird]

Lentil Soup with Lemon




Cook:

40 mins

Total:

1 hr 15 mins

Prep:

35 mins

Servings:

4



Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil



1 large onion, chopped



2 cloves garlic, minced



1 tablespoon tomato paste



1 teaspoon ground cumin



¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste



¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper



⅛ teaspoon chili powder, or to taste



1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth

(can substitute vegetable broth)


1 cup red lentils



1 large carrot, diced



2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste



3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro



4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling



1 pinch chili powder


Directions:
Step 1

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant.



Step 2

Stir in the chicken broth, lentils, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.



Step 3

Pour half of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup, leave it a little chunky.



Step 4

Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, then season to taste with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of chili powder to serve.

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