Mexican lentil soup
Total 1 hour 15 min
Plus Cooking time: 40 minutes
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Updated Nov 1, 2018
Chatelaine
Ingredients
400-g bag
red or green lentils
1
large onion
2
red or green bell peppers
4
4
large garlic cloves
1 tbsp
8 cups
1 tbsp
2 tsp
1 tsp
dried oregano leaves
1/2 to 1 tsp
1 tsp
black pepper
Instructions
- Wash lentils in a sieve, discarding any twigs and stones. Finely chop onion. Cut red peppers in half, remove seeds and chop into 1/4-inch (0.5-cm) pieces. Peel carrots. Chop carrots and celery into 1/4-inch (0.5-cm) pieces. Core and seed jalapeños, then mince along with garlic.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add onion, red peppers, carrots, celery, jalapeños and garlic. Stir-fry until vegetables are slightly soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in lentils, broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils and vegetables are tender, from 30 to 40 minutes. Taste and add more salt and seasonings, if needed.
- For a heartier consistency, remove about one-quarter of soup and place in bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Whirl until mixture is puréed. You may need to add a little water if mixture is too thick. Stir purée back into soup. Serve hot with a crusty baguette. Soup will keep well, covered, in the refrigerator up to 3 days or in the freezer up to 3 months.
Earthy cumin, hot peppers and a heap of seasonings give a heady boost to this soup that’s hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian entrée.
Nutrition
Calories 176, Protein 12.9 g, Carbohydrates 26.3 g, Fat 2.7 g, Fibre 5.6 g, Sodium 741 mg.4 ways to blend and puree soup
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