Spicy Lentil Vegetable Soup

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Cut the peppers in half from top to bottom; remove the stem, seeds, and ribs, then place the peppers cut-side-down onto the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until limp, 30 to 40 minutes. Turn the peppers over halfway through cooking. Once ready, place the peppers into a bowl, and tightly seal with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to steam as they cool, about 20 minutes. Once cool, remove the skins and discard. Chop the peppers
4. Meanwhile, bring the water and lentils to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the carrot, onion, and broccoli; cook and stir until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in some of the vegetable broth, cover, and steam the vegetables until tender. Pour in the remaining vegetable broth and chopped peppers; season with the red pepper flakes, ginger, black pepper, thyme, and sage. Simmer until the flavors come together and the vegetables are very tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Add water if needed to maintain your desired consistency. Stir in the cooked lentils until hot.
6. If desired, pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.

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Reviews (5)

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14

RuthieW

Aug. 23, 2010

"I love this soup. The recipe is very robust, and can be changed to accommodate different ingredients. I didn't have broccoli, so I added a tomato instead. I also used fresh ginger, fresh thyme, and..." See more substituted the sage with fresh cilantro (I didn't have any sage). I just added the thyme and cilantro after the cooking was finished, and before I began blending with my immersion blender. The lentil soup went very well with some cooked brown rice (for a complete protein). I couldn't get enough, and neither could my 2-year-old daughter. Thanks, hot_curry!"

10

STENODORK

Sep. 21, 2010

"WAY too peppery. The flavor would probably be excellent, otherwise...." See more"

7

sueb

Dec. 17, 2010

"Hot soup! I cut back on the pepper flakes, ginger and black pepper to 2 tsp. each, and that was plenty hot enough for me! I only had green peppers, and fried them with the other vegetables. I used ..." See morewater instead of broth. Good way to keep warm on a cold day!"