added this 15 years ago
Harry's Best Lentil Soup
What you need:
1-2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
3/4 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup carrots, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups dried lentils
2 1/2 cups veggie broth
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
dash cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
What you do:
1. Saute veggies in oil about 10 minutes in large pot.
2. Add lentils and water (or broth), bay leaf, cloves, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer about 2 hours. Remove bay leaf and cloves.
You can eat immediately. This gets better in the fridge overnight. If you overstir or overcok it, the lentils will break into a mush so be careful.
Source of recipe: This is my mom's recipe for lentil soup.
Preparation Time:
Cooking Time:
Servings:
6-8
Recipe Category:
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Yum. 4.5 out of 5 stars. I didn't have cloves and I skipped the bay leaf (since usually I forget to take it out), and followed the good suggestion of using a lot more water than what is called for. I followed the instructions otherwise and ended up with a very nice and healthful soup. I had the added benefit of time so I had it on low on the stove for a good long while. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I like the clove. It adds a nice flavor to the lentils. But the ratios in this recipy are WAY OFF. I don't know why I didn't catch this sooner. 2 1/2 cups of liquid is not enough to even cook lentils, much less make soup. This has to be a typo. I started with 3 cups, added a fourth cup of broth, and then added more water, another two cups of water, and finally some more. I have no idea how much it finally took, but it was way more than 2 1l2 cups and my soup was very thick.
I would skip the sauteing and add the veggies a bit later in the cooking process so they taste less mushy and retain more nutrients. One can also "layer" the onions, so some get cooked into mush while some remain distinct in the soup. I also tend to add more green herbs like parsley.
I just made this and it was delicious and so simple. It was perfect for a crisp fall afternoon.
Thanks for sharing.
Sorry for the late update, but this was delicious! Thanks for the recipe! :-*
I am cooking this as we speak! I am so excited to see how it turns out. I didn't have bay leaves or whole cloves, I just put a dash of ground clove in there instead, so I hope that doesn't alter this recipe too much. I also added a diced potato and extra veggie broth to it as well, to give it something extra. Thanks for this simple recipe! I will let you know how it goes! :D