Tuscan Lentil Soup
Lots of great hearty flavour.
Ingredients
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