Although optional, I highly recommend making the the garlicky green sauce. Stirred in just before serving, it will transform a good lentil soup into an extraordinary lentil soup!
Lentil soup:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup celery
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbps tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb French green or brown lentils
- 6 cups veggie stock
Green sauce:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup cilantro, (chopped fine)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- ground pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste
For the lentil soup:
- Heat olive oil in a large (6 quart) pot.
- Over medium-high heat, saute the onions, celery and carrots until golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute another two minutes: add tomato paste and cook a couple more minutes to caramelize and deepen the flavor of the tomato.
- Add the lentils, bay leaf and the broth. Season with salt and pepper.Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer the soup for 40-45 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
For the green sauce:
- Mix all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until fine. You can also use a mortar and pestle to mash the ingredients together. Drizzle on the lentil soup.