Red Lentil and Carrot Soup
A hearty one-pot soup of red lentils and carrots, softened with onion and finished with cumin and lemon. Comforting, filling and ready in under an hour.
- Total
- 44 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 34
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Sweating · Toasting spices
- Savory
- Comforting
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the carrots and cut them into 1 cm pieces. Rinse the red lentils in a sieve until the water runs clear.
~10 min
Rinsing removes surface starch so the soup stays clear rather than gluey.
-
Warm the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes.
~6 min
Sweating the onion in oil draws out moisture and sweetness without browning.
Sweating Cook onion gently in oil over medium heat until translucent, not browned. If it starts to color, lower the heat; browning makes the flavor harsh.
-
Add the cumin to the pot and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant and toasted. Add the carrots and stir to coat.
~1 min
Toasting cumin in hot oil blooms its fat-soluble aromatics, deepening the flavor.
Toasting the cumin in the hot oil for 30 seconds before adding liquid is what gives this soup its warm, deep flavor. Do not let it darken or it turns bitter.
Toasting spices Stir cumin in hot oil for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Pull the pot off the heat if it darkens, as burnt spices turn bitter.
-
Add the red lentils and 500 ml vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered until the lentils and carrots are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
~25 min
Simmering uncovered lets liquid evaporate so the soup thickens and flavors concentrate.
-
Stir in the salt and black pepper. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, taste and adjust the seasoning.
~2 min
Lemon's acid brightens the earthy lentils and balances the soup's richness.