lentil soup recipes needed

does anyone have a favorite lentil soup recipe?

Sure, plenty!  My go-to is chicken broth, bacon, onions, tomato, celery, peppers and parsley

Yes!

“Sopa de lentejas a la Colombiana” :)

Ingredients and ratios:
1. 1 cup of washed lentils (preferably left in water from the day before or at least a couple of hours)]
2. 2 spoons of oil. I use coconut to add a tad of sweetness.
3.  3 smashed garlics cloves
4. 1 finely cut onion
5. Two carrots cut in small cubes
6.  2 potatoes cut in small cubes too
7.  Salt and pepper and I always add a spoon of turmeric for color and medicinal benefits/

Warm up the oil in a big pot and quickly fry the garlic and the onion, between three and five minutes. Add water until it fills 3/4 of the pot and leave until it boils. Add the lentils and potatoes and allow them to boil for 10 minutes, then turn down the heat and leave it cooking on low for 30 to 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Then add the carrot cubes, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Turn off the heat, put on the pot lid and allow these elements to cook on its own for 5 to 10 minutes.
Finally add fresh finely cut cilantro. If you want it to be more watery add hot water and re-season.

Accompany with rice and salted avocado

Pro tip:
If you can cook them in any type of broth instead of water, special flavor points :)

It should look like this:

Here's one we sort of made up, but really like as the weather is cooling.  

Chopped cabbage
Chopped onion
Water
Pepper, garlic, chicken bouillon cubes/paste to taste
Few handfuls of lentils to desired consistency
Handful of rehydrated wakame

When lentils are tender, whip in a few whole eggs.  

A hearty variation on egg drop soup from stuff we have lots of.  

Mmm lentil soup! You can have a simple one with only a few ingredients or expend it and make it as complex as you like. I love any kind of lentil soup.
I make up most of my soups, but here is a favorite that I tend to make over and over again.

1 medium onion, cubed
1 cup of washed lentils
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 carrots sliced into circles or whatever way you prefer
1 or 2 celery stalks chopped (.5” chunks approx. 2cm)
1-2parsley root (or a parsnip) sliced into circles
A quarter chunk of a celery root cubed (optional)
1 jalapeno de-seeded and chopped (optional- I've used poblano and it was good)
.5 can of crushed tomatoes or 1 cubed skinned and diced paste type tomato (optional)
water or vegetable broth (I make my own broth from veg. scraps)
 or any broth you prefer
.5tsp cumin powder (optional)
1 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
.5tsp paprika
.4 cup of chopped fresh parsley or substitute it with fresh Lovage—use less of Lovage (1tbsp chopped)
I use a tbsp. of canola oil, but any non-smelly oil or fat should work for sauteing the vegetables.
salt and pepper to taste

I use an old beat up cast iron dutch oven and it makes it taste better IMO (and cooking it on a rocket stove gives it smoky yummy flavor).
Whatever you have will work fine.

Sautee the onion in the oil, for about 4-5 minutes, (I add some salt at this point)
add carrot, parsley root, celery root and jalapeno, saute another 4-5 minutes,
add the spices, lentils, tomatoes-if using, and water (or broth) and half of the parsley, leaving the other half for the end.
cook for half an hour or until the lentils are tender
add potatoes and celery next, cook for another 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are done.
Add the rest of the parsley and turn it off.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sometimes I have only onions, carrots and lentils around, and the soup still comes out yummy because the lentils taste great on their own.

I hope this is useful and not too confusing :) At this point I already confused myself.

My favorite soup with lentils is as follows:
10 cups ham stock (ham bone boiled with water)
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 cups lentils
2 zucchini, chopped
1 cup soup green beans (not tiny ones)
6 ounces thin spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
6 ounces tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan
2 Tbsp. garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. dried basil, or 1/4 cup fresh basil

Combine ham stock, onions and carrots, cook for 2 hours. Add lentils cook for 1/2 hour. Add remaining ingredients cook until pasta done. Serve with extra parmesan.

Cook red lentils in stock.
Roast carrots, onions, garlic, celery, plus any other vegetables you can't live without in the oven until they're caramelized.
Put everything into the blender, adding more stock as needed to get the right consistency.

Orange soup, aka Squash Lentil Soup

Saute onions to glassy, add in chopped (preferably red, orange, yellow for colour) peppers, maybe some celery and fry until cooked.

Add water and peeled and deseeded squash and orange lentils.

Cook for a long time, season to taste with some of the following : ginger, garlic, garam masala (or other curry spices), hot sauce, pepper, sugar, salt, etc and enough fat to make it have a nice mouth feel.

Run an immersion blender through to puree it. If desired, add coconut milk or serve with mayonnaise, plain yoghurt, or sour cream. After pureeing it, don't cook too long as it tends to scorch.

My favourite lentil soup (Well, one of them anyway!)


   Extra virgin olive oil
   1 large onion, chopped
   3 garlic cloves, minced
   2 carrots, chopped
   3 tsp dry oregano
   1 ½ tsp cumin
   1 tsp rosemary
   ½ tsp red pepper flakes
   2 dry bay leaves
   1 cup crushed tomatoes (fresh or from a can)
   7 cups vegetable broth
   2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained
   Salt and pepper
   Zest of 1 lemon
   Juice of 1 lemons
   Fresh parsley or coriander for garnish
   Crumbled feta cheese to serve, optional

Instructions

Heat 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Add onions, carrots and garlic
Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly
Add spices and bay leaves
Cook for a few seconds till fragrant, keep stirring so spices don't burn.
Add crushed tomatoes, broth, lentils
Season with salt and pepper
Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until lentils are fully cooked

Using an immersion blender, pulse a few times till you reach the creamy consistency you are looking for
Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh parsley or coriander.
Transfer soup to serving bowls and top with extra virgin olive oil. If you like, top each bowl with a generous sprinkle of greek hhfeta cheese. Serve with your favourite crusty bread!