Description
Alton Brown’s hearty lentil soup blends rustic Mediterranean flavors with simple, nourishing ingredients. Warmth and comfort flow from this soul-satisfying bowl, inviting you to savor each spoonful of rich, aromatic goodness.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
- 2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
Vegetables:
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- ½ cup finely chopped carrot
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
Seasonings and Oils:
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground toasted cumin
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground grains of paradise
Instructions
- Warm a capacious Dutch oven (6 quarts or 5.7 liters) over medium heat, drizzling olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot evenly.
- Introduce diced carrot, finely chopped celery, and sliced onion to the heated oil, seasoning with salt. Sauté the vegetables for 6-7 minutes until the onions become translucent and develop a soft, glossy appearance.
- Incorporate whole lentils, diced tomatoes, flavorful broth, ground cumin, fragrant coriander, and exotic grains of paradise into the vegetable mixture, stirring to combine all ingredients thoroughly.
- Escalate the heat to high, allowing the liquid to reach a robust boil. Immediately reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 35-40 minutes until lentils become tender and fully cooked.
- Utilize an immersion blender to transform the mixture into a smooth, creamy consistency, breaking down the lentils and vegetables into a uniform texture.
- Ladle the soup into serving bowls immediately, ensuring maximum warmth and flavor retention. Garnish if desired and serve piping hot.
Notes
- Skip pre-soaking since brown lentils cook quickly without preparation.
- Dice onions, carrots, and celery uniformly to ensure even cooking and balanced flavor distribution.
- Gentle simmering prevents lentil breakdown and maintains ideal soup texture.
- Low sodium broth allows better control of salt levels during cooking.
- Fresh herbs like parsley or thyme add bright, final aromatic notes right before serving.
- Stirring occasionally prevents lentils from sticking to pot bottom.
- Kitchen towel under cutting board stabilizes surface during vegetable preparation.
- Extra virgin olive oil adds rich undertone during initial vegetable sautéing.
- Metal spoon works best for scraping browned bits from pot’s bottom.
- Leftovers taste even better next day as flavors continue melding overnight.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg