French Lentil Soup

It's been getting a little chilly here at night... and when I say chilly, I mean California temperature where the coldest it gets during the evening is low 60's. I know, super cold, right? Not really. 

I don't know about you, but when the weather starts to get like this, all I crave is a warm, hearty bowl of soup. This French Lentil Soup is definitely something that satisfies that craving. It is super easy and quick to make which is why I love it. I love the big chunks of vegetables that you get and the soft bite from the lentils. This soup is not the thinned out, watery soup that you find in a canned or premade soup. It has thickness in the broth since you puree some of the soup and add it back into the pot. I'm telling you that this soup was so good that I made twice in one week. Delicious!

If it's cold where you are, you have to throw these ingredients into a pot and cozy up with a nice bowl of soup.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2-3 stalks celery, diced

2-3 carrots, peeled and diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

4 cups chicken stock, you can also substitute with vegetable stock

1-2 springs thyme

1 1/4 cup French lentils, rinsed and drained

1 14oz can diced tomatoes in juice

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic, add a dash of salt and pepper and saute until vegetables begin to brown and get soft, about 15 minutes. 

2. Add stock, lentils, tomatoes with their juices and thyme. Stir and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer until the lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.

4. Remove thyme springs. Using a ladle, scoop about 2-3 ladlefuls of the soup (mostly solids) into a blender and puree until smooth. Return the puree back into the saucepan and stir. Season again with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Ladle into a bowl and dig in.

Want More Soup?

Chicken, Kale & Sweet PotatoSoup