3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
juice of ½ lemon
chili powder or ground cayenne
Step 1
In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
Step 2
Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
Step 3
Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partly cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Step 4
Using an immersion blender or food processor, purée half the soup, then add it back to pot. The soup should be somewhat chunky. Continue to cook for another minute or two, until heated through. Stir in the lemon juice.
Step 5
Ladle into serving bowls and dust soup lightly with chili powder or ground cayenne.
One of NYT Most Popular Recipes.