Jan Bergen’s Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

 A favorite recipe from former LG Health CEO Jan Bergen

Nothing warms the heart and soul on a cold day quite like a piping hot bowl of soup. I first discovered this recipe in the New York Times cooking section and it has become one of my family’s favorites. Light, spicy and colorful, this soup takes less than an hour to make. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
5. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

Makes 4 servings. Double or triple the recipe and freeze for later!

Nutritional Information Per Serving (4 servings)
301 calories; 11 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 1 milligram cholesterol; 223 milligrams sodium