This is Recipe Roundup, episode 58. While the weather is warming up, we still have some wet, low temperature days. For those times, a warming lentil soup is just the thing to make you feel a little cozier. 

Lentils, like the black beans we made, are legumes. However, they don’t require long soaking and can typically transition from hard legume to soup in under an hour. This is especially true of red lentils, which are sort of the “split pea” version  – skinless and split. 

Today’s recipe however will be using typical brown or green lentils that you can find in any grocery store. 

You will need

Olive Oil

3 cloves of garlic

Half an Onion

Half a cup of carrots

A quarter cup of celery

2 tsp of ground cumin

2 tsp of smoked paprika

2 cups of lentils

12 cups of water

1 tbs of salt, more to taste

Black Pepper to taste

Cilantro for garnish

1. Although you don’t have to soak the lentils, it’s a good idea to look through them to make sure they are free of pebbles or other debris and then give them a good rinse. 
2. In a large pot, heat some olive oil on low medium heat. Saute the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic with your spices. Place the lid on top to allow the ingredients to sweat and soften, making sure nothing is browning or burning. 
3. Add your lentils, water, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower back down to a steady simmer.
4. Stir every so often. The lentils should begin to soften after 20 minutes, but continue to test and cook to your preference. For lentils that are intact, a cook time of 30 minutes should be sufficient – but if you want a more soupy consistency, cook up to an hour, adding water and salt as you deem necessary. 
5. Serve with cilantro or other fresh herbs. Lentils are excellent with crusty bread or rice!