Chef Joey's Red Lentil Soup with Cumin
Warming red lentil soup built on sautéed onion and garlic, spiced with cumin and bay, simmered until creamy. Tomatoes added mid-cook prevent lentil breakdown. Finished with red wine vinegar and topped with cooling sour cream or yogurt. Flexible between chicken and vegetable broth.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped fine
- 3 clove garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cup red lentils
- 2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 15 ounce can chopped tomatoes with juice
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- honey(optional)
- 3 bay leaf
- 7 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup sour cream
- plain yogurt(optional)
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- 1
Heat olive oil in large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat
- 2
Add chopped onion and garlic, sauté until soft
- 3
Stir in lentils and cumin, cook one minute until fragrant and lentils are coated
- 4
Stir in agave (or honey), bay leaves, and broth; bring to boil
- 5
Season with salt and pepper
- 6
Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes until lentils are soft and falling apart and soup thickens
- 7
Add canned tomatoes with juice and cook another 15 minutes
- 8
Thin with additional broth if desired
- 9
Remove bay leaves, stir in red wine vinegar
- 10
Serve with dollops of sour cream or yogurt
Tips
Source notes tomatoes inhibit lentil softening, which is why they are added halfway through cooking
Honey substitutes 1:1 for agave nectar if preferred
Dutch oven recommended for even heat distribution
Good to Know
Refrigerate up to 4 days in airtight container. Freezes well up to 3 months.
Prepare through step 7, cool and refrigerate overnight. Reheat gently on stovetop, thin with broth if needed.
Ladle into bowls, top with dollop of sour cream or yogurt and fresh cracked pepper
Common Mistakes
Do not add tomatoes at the start; adding mid-cook allows lentils to soften properly
Do not skip the one-minute cumin bloom to avoid flat spice flavor
Do not simmer uncovered for full 35 minutes to avoid over-thickening