Incredible Lentil Soup

 This soup is from the popular blog Monkey & Me which is a fun place to check out recipes created by a mother-daughter duo. I like this soup because its one of the closest I've found to Amy's canned lentil soup with the brown label which my kids like. Its easy to come together, and easy to double or triple for freezing. It tastes great fresh, chunky, or partially blended. They did a fantastic job and I saved this recipe years ago but make it every winter. Sometimes I stir in chopped spinach along with the parsley at the end. With some brown bread toast and a side salad this soup makes for a complete meal. 

Base Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow onion, fine dice
• 2 medium celery ribs, small dice
• 2 medium carrots, small dice
• 2 Tablespoon minced garlic 
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water (or broth)
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes 
• ¾ to 1 cup dry brown lentils (or green lentils)

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
• 1 bay leaf
• ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 ¾ teaspoons cumin
• ¼ teaspoon dried coriander 
• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• pinch cayenne pepper

Other Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Optional Toppings:

• Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (or cilantro)
• 
  
• Instructions

1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients in a small bowl (except the bay leaf and cayenne pepper), mix well, set aside.
2. In a large ceramic/enamel-lined Dutch oven, skillet or similar stock pot, add the diced onions, celery, and carrots; sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 9 minutes.  Add a tablespoon or so of vegetable broth or water if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
3. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste, sauté for one minute, stirring constantly. Then add the Spice/Herb Mix (minus the bay leaf and cayenne pepper) stirring for 30 seconds until the spices release their fragrance then add all the remaining Base Ingredients and bay leaf, bring to a boil, cover with a lid, then lower to a simmer.  Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes or until the lentils tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Once the lentils are very tender, stir in the lemon juice and cayenne pepper.  Remove the bay leaf.  If you wish you to create a thick soup, use an immersion blender and pulse off and on for about 20 seconds or less, then remove the pot from the stove and allow to sit uncovered for 15 minutes.  This will allow the flavors to marry and develop.
5. Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley.