What better way to warm yourself on these cold winter days than with a hearty soup. Red Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup totally fits the bill. It’s full of healthy ingredients, easy to make, and amazingly delicious!
Ingredients for Red Lentil Soup with Roasted Tomatoes:
I used the following ingredients for this wonderful soup: Olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, canned whole tomatoes, light brown sugar, red lentils, chicken broth, Kosher salt, ground cumin, ground coriander, and freshly ground black pepper.
Roasting the Tomatoes:
The most time-consuming part of making this soup was getting the tomatoes ready for roasting. First, I drained the tomatoes but reserved the juices. Then, I removed any extraneous skin and seeds. The easiest way that I know to remove the seeds is to break open the tomatoes and rinse them under running water.
After I rinsed the tomatoes, I placed them on paper towels, and patted them dry with additional paper towels. The reason that I dried the tomatoes was that the roasting does not begin until the liquid has been evaporated. Therefore, the more liquid that is removed before roasting, the quicker the process. Next, I spread the tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with non-stick aluminum foil. After that, I sprinkled them with some brown sugar to enhance the roasting. I popped the tomatoes into a preheated 450° F oven for about 20 minutes until the liquid had evaporated and they began to color.
Making the Red Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup:
While the tomatoes were roasting, I heated some olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Then, I added the onions, carrots, and celery, and cooked the vegetables for about 10 minutes. Next, I added the roasted tomatoes, lentils, chicken broth, reserved tomato juice, salt, cumin, coriander, pepper, and additional brown sugar. I stirred to combine everything, and brought the mixture to a boil over high heat. After that, I lowered the heat to low, covered the Dutch oven, and cooked the soup until the lentils and vegetables were tender. This took about 50 minutes.
After 50 minutes, the soup was perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned. I asked the Master Taste Tester whether he wanted me to purée the soup. He tasted it and said no – that it was perfect!
I served the Red Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup with a freshly baked loaf of Crusty French Bread. As he reached for his third helping, the Master Taste Tester proclaimed the soup outstanding. I agreed. Yum!
- 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, drained with juice reserved
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light brown sugar divided
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
- 3/4 cup finely chopped celery about 2 stalks
- 3/4 cup finely chopped carrots 1 large carrot
- 1 pound (16 ounces) red lentils, rinsed and drained
- 2 quarts (64 ounces) chicken broth (See Tip 1)
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin toasted
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander toasted
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil. Drain tomatoes, reserving the juice. Seed tomatoes, pat dry with paper towels and spread in a single layer on the foil. Sprinkle evenly with 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. Bake until all liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes begin to color, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let the tomatoes cool slightly.
- Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook, until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add roasted tomatoes, lentils, chicken broth, reserved tomato juice, salt, cumin, coriander, pepper, and remaining 2 teaspoons of brown sugar.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. If scum develops, skim off and discard. Lower heat to low; cover and cook until lentils are tender, about 50 minutes.
- If desired, purée to preferred consistency with a stick blender.
- Serve.
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
- To make this vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
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