Recipe: Tomato Lentil Soup

It's been cold and miserable on and off, so I've been in a soup-making mood. (Also I'm lazy and slightly busy, and soup doesn't take a lot of babysitting.) My mother suggested this recipe, so this isn't my usual lentil soup, but it was delicious. The biggest key to perfect soup is letting it cook for as long as possible to let the flavors mingle.

Ingredients


2 Tbsp. olive oil (you'll probably need to add more later)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium stalk celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup dried lentils
4 cups water
4 tsp vegetable bullion
1 tsp dried thyme leaves

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic, and sautee about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Keep an eye on it, if the garlic overcooks it'll get very bitter. Stir in remaining ingredients except tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes at the absolute minimum, 45-60 minutes is best. Add a little more liquid if necessary.

When the lentils and vegetables are tender, add the tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for at least another 15 minutes - 30-45 minutes is best. Remove bay leaf and serve.


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