Lentils are a good source of not only protein but dietary fiber, iron, Vit. B1 and minerals , as well. And knowing them to be as such, I have been trying to explore the lentil culinary world if you will.
So far, I have had lentils in the form of a salad and two kinds of soup. Loved the salad, am happy to report. And the soups? So far, so delicious and hearty!
At this time, I will be sharing with you a red lentil soup that works really well with both cornbread triangles and french bread slices. Topped with my version of creamy Gouda horseradish spread and/or pimiento cheese spread – so yummy! All of these are gluten free and all egg free, of course 🙂
Gluten Free Red lentil and Tomato Soup
What we will need to have:
1 Tbsp. good extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves, fresh if possible
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (32 fl. oz) Gluten Free/MSG free Chicken or Vegetable Stock or Broth
6 cups filtered water
1/2 cup red wine (one you don’t mind drinking)
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 lb. (16 oz. dry weight) red lentils, rinsed well with warm water
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
What we will need to do:
- In an 8 qt. soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Into this add, onions and saute until almost translucent.
- Add garlic, bay leaves, basil. red pepper flakes and oregano, carrots and celery. Saute for about a minute.
- Then, add in tomatoes, stock, water, wine and balsamic vinegar. Bring all this to a boil, cover then reduce heat to simmer.
- Simmer for 15 minutes, before adding in lentils. Stir together and cook for 30 minutes more. All the vegetables should be soft but not mushy and lentils are somewhat creamy.
- Ladle out about a third of the soup. Puree this then add back into your still simmering pot.
- Stir and taste at this time. See if you need more salt and want the added spice of black pepper.
- Serve hot with some cornbread triangles or gluten free bread on the side.
Notes:
–If you want more flavor for the kiddos to dig into, go ahead and spread your cornbread and/or bread slices with either some creamy Gouda horseradish spread or, pimiento cheese. Or, splurge and treat them to a choice of both 😉
–Make sure that after you have rinsed the lentils that you also pat them dry or, drip dry in a colander with small holes – smaller than the lentils so you don’t lose any of them. We don’t need our lentils soaking up excess liquid. At least, not before we cook it in our soup.