Lentil soup

I love getting approached for my recipes after they go up on instastories. Often times I’m just winging it and it’s good video content, and then I go back and make up the actual recipe. This is one of those times. I needed an easy, hearty soup for the Yom Kippur break fast meal. After a fast, though it’s tempting to shove everything not nailed to the floor into your mouth at breakneck speed, it’s the wiser move to ease your digestive system back into action with slow, gentle intake. This is always a better idea, fast or no fast. This soup was a hit with both the adults and kids at the table. If it needs to be thinned out a drop if reheating, just add some vegetable broth. This is totally vegan. 

Ingredients:

Two boxes/8 cups vegetable broth

A cup each chopped onions, carrots, parsnips, and celery

Two cloves of garlic finely chopped or minced

A bag of dried red lentils

A cup of finely chopped parsley

Two tsp of Salt and a tsp of five ground pepper, adding more to taste after cooking

A large whole bay leaf

Directions:

Heat a couple tbsp olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and sauté until golden brown. Add some vegetable broth or even white cooking wine to prevent a dry pot/burned onions. Add garlic and sauté when onions are almost done.

Add chopped carrots, parsnips, and celery (I had fennel so I threw that in too), cover and sweat until fork tender. Maybe five minutes tops. Keep adding broth if needed to unstick the vegetables. Add the bag of lentils, the broth, bay leaf and seasonings. I think a tsp of cumin would be a nice optional addition of flavoring if you like that spice.

Bring to a boil then simmer on medium low, covered, for a half hour until lentils are soft. Add chopped parsley and simmer ten minutes more. Turn off heat and remove cover. I like to release some steam before I purée. When soup is no longer piping hot, purée (optional!) with a handheld soup blender. Remove bay leaf first of course. If you like a chunkier soup, no need to blend. I have to camouflage veggies in my house. Since this is a thicker, heavier soup I served smaller portions in mugs. 🥄. This recipe is interchangeable with green or yellow split peas.

This is for you, Drorit