Lentil Soup With Lime Juice

Submitted by brianak

"I love this soup!! I like to add shredded chicken and serve with really sweet, buttery honey cornbread. Taken from "The Feast of Santa Fe" by Huntley Dent."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups dried lentils
• 6 cups water, plus additional as needed
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cracked pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon whole cumin
• 1⁄2 1/2 teaspoon thyme or 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 3 bay leaves
• 1⁄4 - 1⁄2 cup canned diced green chiles
• 1 bell pepper, deveined seeded, and cut into chunks (I like red)
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1⁄4 cup lime juice (although I use more)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

directions

1. Place first 7 ingredients in 3q pot and bring to boil over medium heat. Skim off foam, cover, and boil gently until lentils are soft. Between 30 and 60 minutes.
2. Place green chilies and 1c of soup into food processor and puree. Return to pot. Wipe processor clean.
3. Put bell pepper and carrot into processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add to soup.
4. Bring soup to boil for no longer than 1 minute (so bell pepper and carrot remain crisp). Taste for seasoning and texture.
5. Stir in olive oil and lime juice.
6. Warm through and serve.

Reviews

[realbirdlady]

An interesting flavor combination, nutritious and easy. I use brown lentils, with fresh chiles and half-and-half thyme and oregano. I'd suggest starting with 4-5 cups water, then add more as needed. I'd also suggest waiting until the end to add the salt, only as needed. The taste is much lighter with less carrot. The soup can be refrigerated and reheated, although it will have a mushier texture. It is also easy to scale up or down.