THE BEST LENTIL SOUP

The Best Lentil Soup image

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Time 1h30m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 large celery stalk (about 2 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils
4 cups vegetable stock
7 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped (about 1 teaspoon leaves)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus the juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for garnish, roughly chopped

Steps:

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are starting to caramelize and take on a dark brown color, 8 to 10 minutes (this step is important as it will add tons of flavor to your soup!).
Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook, scraping up the brown bits, until the garlic is fragrant and slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add in the lentils, stock, 4 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of black pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the lentils are softened with just a bit of bite, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf. Puree 2 1/2 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth then stir back into the pot. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Ladle into bowls and garnish with more parsley.