Ingredients

• 1 medium potato
• 1-2 carrots
• 1/2 sweet potato
• 1 red pepper
• Fresh rosemary
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 3 shallots
• 1 rib of celery
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup green or brown lentils
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 can Roma tomatoes
• Tomato paste
• 1 lemon
• Balsamic vinegar
• Fresh parsley
• Fresh basil
• Fresh baby spinach

Instructions

• Slowly heat a pot of 6-8 cups of vegetable stock.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut potato, carrots, sweet potato and red pepper into small cubes, toss with chopped fresh rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper, spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes or until soft and nicely browned.
• Heat a large pan on medium heat. Dice shallots and celery, then add some olive oil to the pan and add the aromatics. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Mince the garlic and add it to the pan, stirring often to prevent burning.
• Add the chilli flakes, thyme and oregano and stir to combine.
• Add the rinsed lentils and stir them together with the aromatics.
• Add the can of tomatoes. If they are whole, chop them up with your spoon.
• Add 6 cups of stock and a dollop of tomato paste. Stir thoroughly and raise the heat to bring the soup to a boil.
• Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the lentils are nearly cooked.
• When the roasted vegetables are done, remove them from the oven and stir them into the soup.
• Taste the soup. If it seems bland, add some seasoning. If it tastes a bit dull, brighten it up with a squeeze of lemon juice and/or balsamic vinegar. Go with your taste on this one. You might even want to add a bit more tomato paste to add a bit of unctuousness.
• Using an immersion blender, do a bit of spot-pulsing here and there - not enough to purée the soup but just to give the broth a creamy texture while leaving the lentils and vegetables mostly whole.
• If you want a more liquidy soup, you can always add a bit more stock here as well.
• When you’re happy with the flavour and texture, chop the fresh parsley, basil and spinach and stir it into the soup.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Tuscan Lentil Soup