Roasted Garlic & Lentil Soup
Prep: 20 min
Ready: 80 min
4-6
healthymeatspicy
A rich Hungarian-inspired lentil soup with roasted garlic, smoky paprika, and tender lentils. This hearty soup works well with either sprouted or regular lentils.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp lard or avocado oil
- 1 sweet white onion, cut into ¼-inch half-moons
- 2 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch dice
- 1 green serrano chile, stemmed, halved lengthwise, and cut into thin half-moons
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 18 roasted garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 3 tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
- 2 cups black lentils, sprouted
- 12 oz dry paprika sausage, dry chorizo, or pepperoni, sliced
- 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 12 oz button mushrooms, sliced thin
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Sour cream for garnish
- Chopped green onions for garnish
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add lard or oil, then add onion, bell peppers, and serrano chile. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are well charred but not blackened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a blender, combine 2 cups of the broth and the roasted garlic cloves. Purée until smooth.
- In a large pot, combine the purée, remaining broth, tomatoes, lentils, sausage, chopped garlic, mushrooms, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Cook until lentils just begin to soften, about 25 minutes. Add smoked paprika and charred vegetables and simmer gently until lentils begin to fall apart and thicken the soup, about 20 minutes longer.
- Remove and discard bay leaves. Add vinegar and salt, and season with pepper.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish each serving with sour cream, green onions, and cilantro.