Something other than butter.
Something other than sugar.
Something other than bacon and breakfast.
I feel healthy and strong and clear skinned and shiny haired. And I totally want tater tots .
I know you don’t necessarily come here for healthy stuff like ginger and lentils.
I just can’t possibly eat all the muffins and scones and biscuits I make… and this is the mess I eat in real life.
This lentil soup is simple and straightforward.
I used French lentils. They come with an accent. They’re a speckled green and cook up plump and with a touch of crunch. They don’t turn to mush like brown lentils sometimes do. Ginger and garlic give this soup all its flavor. The more ginger, the more of a kick your soup will be. The amount of garlic added depends entirely on whether or not you have anyone to whisper to or make out with.
I added cumin, cayenne pepper and lemon to the soup because… it’s soup. Anything goes.
Ginger and Lentil Soup
adapted from Essential New York Time Cookbook
serves 8
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped small
3 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 tablespoons ginger, grated or finely diced
3 cups water
3 to 4 carrots, sliced
1 pound French lentils
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
grated Gruyere cheese for serving
cooked couscous for serving
Take some time to sift through the lentils. Do it. Sometimes you find little rocks and pebbles. Those are bad for the teeth. I found a rock in my lentils… check through! After picking through the lentils, place in a colander and rinse with cool water. Set aside.
Chop onions, garlic and grate ginger and chop carrots.
Place a large pot over medium heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add onions. Cook until transparent and slightly browned. Add garlic, ginger and carrots and and cook, while stirring, for 1 minute. Add cumin and cayenne pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the water to the hot pot and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot as the liquid sizzles. Add lentils and broth and simmer for about 45 minutes, until lentils have softened. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Finish with lemon.
Serve with grated cheese and/or couscous.
Soup will last, in an airtight container in the fridge, for about a week. Soup is also great to keep in the freezer. It’s a win.
Becky @ my life be like
Yummmm! I have some dried lentils in the cupboard. None of the others, I regret but once this blizzard melts I can go to the store and get some more goodies to make something like this. :)
Justeen @ Blissful Baking
This soup looks healthfully delicious! Love all of the different flavors in it!
Katherine @ Dexter & Dinah
I have 90% of the ingredients for this in my house right now. The other 10% I can either purchase very soon or substitute pretty easily. This looks like a great pantry staple soup – basic stuff in a special way. Keep the savory coming!
Pure2raw twins
Lentil soup is one of my favorite soups, and I am not much of a soup person. And ginger is my all time favorite, so this soup is perfect in so many ways ;)
Kimberly
This looks spectacular! I just cooked with fresh ginger for the first time earlier this week (another soup) and I can’t wait to use it again. And lentils…well, they’re one of my favorite foods ever, soI’m pretty sure I’m going to love this soup.
Melissa
Just found you. Re-read your posts like a favorite novel. Have been thinking about lentils lately and you posted. There must be a connection.
Kat @ Cupcake Kat
I love lentil soup so I really want to try out this interesting combination.
I have a huge sweet tooth. But I think I’ve reached my max because lately I’ve been craving savoury dishes. Maybe I’ll start with this.
Janis
Looks great. I’m always scared to make lentils…scared they won’t be cooked all the way and I will have wasted time and money. I have tried many of your recipes so I know I can give this a whirl and it will come out perfect. :) I have leftover ginger from the Asian Noodle Bowl I made tonight too!
Jessica @ bake me away!
Today I was thinking about how I wanted to make lentil soup. Mind reader! Love the ginger.
Lora @cakeduchess
I eat lentils often. I always make them with my favorite Italian recipe. Mine is boring in comparison to this burst of flavors. I can’t wait to try this! Ginger and lentils and Gruyere-incredible:)Thank you for sharing this super recipe.
Rachel
An absolutely divine soup. Stuck in with snow and ice today, and I made it for lunch. Delicious. I used about a tsp of ground ginger instead of fresh, and it was so bright and snappy.
D
OMG I recently ate a soup just like this in SF and wanted to figure out how to make it! Can’t wait to try!
Lauren
Love when you post great dinner dishes- keep the mix of savory and sweet coming! I’m making this tonight :)
Natalia - a side of simple
This looks great, but I’m thinking you should do a homemade tater tots recipe to get the balance back ;)
Sues
Ooh how perfect is this? I love lentils and they’re so, so healthy. And don’t even get me started on ginger. I could eat it by the pound!