Red Lentil Soup (NY Times)

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
•  Pinch of ground chile powder or cayenne, more to taste
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
•  Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

PREPARATION

1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
5. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

6. Nutrition Facts
   Servings 6.0
   Amount Per Serving
   calories 317
   % Daily Value *
   Total Fat 8 g	12 %
   Saturated Fat 1 g	5 %
   Monounsaturated Fat 5 g
   Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
   Trans Fat 0 g
   Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
   Sodium 350 mg	15 %
   Potassium 488 mg	14 %
   Total Carbohydrate 52 g	17 %
   Dietary Fiber 3 g	11 %
   Sugars 3 g
   Protein 13 g	26 %
   Vitamin A	30 %
   Vitamin C	61 %
   Calcium	20 %
   Iron	14 %
   * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.