I first had an encounter with Lentil Soup when a Mediterranean restaurant opened in my town. I would go there a couple times a week on my lunch break just to have the lentil soup and a tabouli salad. This little restaurant served that lentil soup every week day. I couldn't seem to get enough of it. So one day I decided I would try and make my own version of their soup. As they weren't open for dinner time and they were closed on the weekends. There were many times I wanted this soup, but they were closed. So I looked at many recipes on the web trying to get an idea of what goes into a good lentil soup.
I also wanted something very basic and easy to make. So that anyone could throw it together and get people fed and satisfied in a small amount of time. So I've taken the basic ingredients and adjusted the water and spices accordingly with the addition of rice like the restaurant used. What I ended up with was a very close rendition to what the restaurant made.
I got a call from my brother not too long after I had mastered my version of the soup. He told me the restaurant was closing. So the very next day I went down town to have my favorite soup and salad one last time before they closed. Only to find a sign on the door saying that they were closing and the date on the sign had been several days earlier. Also that it had been a pleasure serving our community, Thank you. This was very upsetting to me to say the least. That little eatery is gone now but I'm glad to have tried their soup. And even more I'm glad to have taken the time to figure out what went into it. This soup is plant based and oil free for those concerned about that.
Lentils and rice are always good to keep on hand. They are both easy to cook with and can be added to many recipes. When making vegetable soups I usually throw in a hand full of brown rice or other whole grain. If I don't do that it's some kind of legume then. This soup is good without those additions but always look for opportunities to add these in when you can.
This recipe makes enough soup for six to eight generous bowls. I hope you make this soup and enjoy it as much as we do. This soup goes well with some pita bread and hummus on the side or a tabouli salad.
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup of red split lentils
1/3 cup white rice
1 medium sized onion
1 medium sized tomato chopped small (Optional)
1 teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
7 to 9 cups of water
2 teaspoons Salt or salt to taste
Throwing it all together
Cut up the onion and if you are using tomato in your recipe then cut it up at this time as well and set aside. Make sure to cut the tomato small. Rinse the lentils and drain. Add the rice, lentils, water and all of the spices to the pot. Put in the onion, if using tomatoes throw those in now too. Bring to a boil then simmer on a lower heat making sure there is enough heat to keep things moving for 20 minutes.
After twenty minutes the soup should be ready. Check the lentils and rice for tenderness. If you think it needs more water add some at this time. Salt to taste, and enjoy. You can also garnish this soup with a little parsley or cilantro. Add a few drops of lemon juice to your bowl before serving.
I hope you enjoy this soup!
