Curried Lentil Soup

By Kath Dedon

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I made this Curried Lentil Soup a couple of weeks ago and we really enjoyed it. I found myself craving it so I made it again and took photos to share with you.

The recipe, from America’s Test Kitchen’s The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook, is very easy to make. I chose to keep it vegetarian and used Swanson’s vegetable broth and it was great, but you could use chicken broth if you don’t need it to be strictly vegetarian. Homemade vegetable or chicken broth would surely take it to a higher level.

The recipe calls for 4½ cups of vegetable broth and 1½ cups of water. Since Swanson’s vegetable broth comes in 4 cup cartons, I used 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water.

So I’ve made Curried Lentil Soup twice this month. I’m sure it’s a soup I’ll be making again. It makes a great, wholesome, warming meal for a winter night. Serve it with a simple salad and some bread and you’re all set!

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Curried Lentil Soup

(Adapted from the recipe in ATK’s The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook)

ATK used a blender to blend 3 cups of the soup and then returned it to the pot. I used an immersion blender right in the pot to blend it a bit. I recommend using an immersion blender if you have one. If you use a blender, it should be large enough that it’s not too full with 3 cups of soup. If not, do it in batches. While blending, use an oven mitt to hold the cover on. Hot soup can send blender lids, and soup, flying if you’re not careful.

(print the recipe)

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped fine (about 1 ½ cups)

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained (I used petite diced.)

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup dry white wine

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes.

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2. Add the garlic and curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme and cook for another 30 seconds.

4. Add the lentils and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 8 – 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened and the lentils have darkened a bit.

5. Increase the heat to high, add the wine and bring to a boil, stirring up any browned bits. Add the broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the soup is simmering, put the lid on ajar and simmer for 30 – 35 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

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6. Discard the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender in the pot to blend the soup a bit. (Or put 3 cups of the soup in a blender, blend it and add it back to the pot. See note at the start of the recipe.)

7. Stir in parsley and serve.

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