Spiced Tomato Soup with Red Lentils
This fantastic spiced tomato soup with lentils makes an approachable yet surprisingly nuanced dinner straight from the pantry in 45 minutes. Vegan, gluten-free, and totally satisfying.
Servings: 4
Calories: 271kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions about (200 grams) total, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
- ¼ cup (60 grams) tomato paste
- 2 28- ounce 793-gram cans diced tomatoes
- 4 cups good vegetable broth
- ½ cup (70 grams) uncooked red lentils, rinsed well and drained
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a 5-quart heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onions and salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin, and garam masala and cook, stirring, one minute more.
- Stir in the sambal oelek and tomato paste.
- Add the diced tomatoes, broth, lentils, sugar, and cilantro, and stir to combine well.
- Raise the heat to high to bring the soup to a boil.
- Lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until lentils are very tender and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.
Notes
- The amount if sambal oelek used in this recipe contributes a gentle, cozy heat that's more of a background note than anything. You can easily add more if you prefer more spice, without changing anything else.
- Like many soups, this one gets even better as the flavors have a chance to blend. It keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a year, so make it anytime you like.
- This recipe is adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly via a friend. I first shared it here in 2011 and have made a few tweaks over the years.
Nutrition
Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 10.4g | Fat: 8.5g | Fiber: 8.5g