Thick Lentil Soup Food

LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes.
• Add celery and carrot. Cook for 7 - 10 minutes or until softened and the onion is sweet. Don't rush this step, it is key to the flavour base of the soup.
• Add all remaining ingredients except the lemon and salt. Stir.
• Increase heat and bring to simmer. Scoop scum on the surface off and discard (do this again during cooking if required). Place lid on and turn heat down to medium low. Simmer for 35 - 40 minutes or until lentils are soft.
• Remove bay leaves.
• Thicken Soup: Using a stick blender, do 2 or 3 quick whizzes to thicken the soup (see video below). Or transfer 2 cups to a blender, let it cool slightly, then hold lid with tea towel and blend then transfer back into pot.
• Add a touch of water if you want to adjust soup consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Grate over the zest of the lemon then add a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve with warm crusty bread slathered liberally with butter!

THICK INDIAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In medium soup pot, cook lentils in broth and 3 cups water until tender (usually around 35 minutes).
• Allow lentils to cool a little, puree them, and return them to the soup pot.
• Puree tomato, garlic and dates and add this mixture to the pureed lentils.
• Stir in spices and remaining 1 1/2 cups water, and simmer soup slowly for 20 minutes.
• Add evaporated skimmed milk, then heat and serve.

THE BEST LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are starting to caramelize and take on a dark brown color, 8 to 10 minutes (this step is important as it will add tons of flavor to your soup!).
• Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook, scraping up the brown bits, until the garlic is fragrant and slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add in the lentils, stock, 4 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of black pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the lentils are softened with just a bit of bite, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaf. Puree 2 1/2 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth then stir back into the pot. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Ladle into bowls and garnish with more parsley.

LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the stock in a large pan and add the lentils. Bring to the boil and allow the lentils to soften for a few minutes.
• Add the carrots and leeks and season (don't add salt if you use ham stock as it will make it too salty). Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45-60 mins until the lentils have broken down. Scatter over the parsley and serve with buttered bread, if you like.

HEARTY ITALIAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Place lentils in a pot with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
• Bring rice and 1 1/3 cup water to boil in a pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, combine the ground beef, beaten egg, garlic, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, parsley, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Form ground beef mixture into 1 inch balls. Place meatballs in skillet and cook 5 minutes or until evenly brown.
• In a large pot, bring the tomato sauce and 4 cups water to a boil. Transfer the browned meatballs to the pot. Mix in cooked lentils and rice. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese to serve.

HAM HOCK AND LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions, celery and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Saute for 1 minute. Add the ham hocks and stock. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cook, covered for about an hour, or until ham hocks are tender. Add the lentils and continue to cook 25 to 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Reseason with salt and pepper if needed. Remove ham hocks and remove the meat. Add the ham back into the soup. Serve with a hearty crusty bread.

HEARTY LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, saute the celery, onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the water, tomatoes, lentils, barley, bouillon, oregano, rosemary and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until lentils and barley are almost tender., Add carrots; simmer for 15 minutes or until the carrots, lentils and barley are tender. Sprinkle each serving with cheese if desired.