Rustic Lentil Soup with Spinach
Ingredients
For soup
- 1 ½ cups brown, green, or mixed lentils, soaked
- 3-4 tablespoons extra vigin olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, roasted, peeled, and chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 6-8 cups water
- 1 ½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For serving
- red wine vinegar to taste
- Romano or parmesan cheese
Instructions
- If lentils have not been soaked already, cover with hot water and set aside.
- Warm oil in soup pot.
- Add onion.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion has begun to soften, approx. 5 minutes.
- Add carrot, bell pepper, and parsley.
- Cook until all softened, approx. 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook a few minutes more.
- Stir in tomato paste and mustard.
- Cook until there a film forms on the bottom of the pot.
- Add wine and scrape up pan juices.
- Simmer a few minutes, until partially reduced.
- Drain lentils.
- Add lentils, bay leaf, and water to pot. Use larger amount of water if lentils were soaked only briefly.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Continue cooking until lentils are soft, approx. 10-20 minutes.
- Taste for salt. Season with pepper.
- Add spinach to soup. Cook until wilted, approx. 2 minutes.
- When serving, add a little vinegar to sharpen flavors, and if desired shave on some cheese.
Notes
Adapted from Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen.