As is true of so many of my recipes, this one comes from a recent edition of Martha’s Every Day Food magazine. I can’t get enough of that mag – seriously. I just find everything so accessible and appealing. I liked the looks of this mushroom and lentil soup as a vegetarian meal that featured one of my fave super healthy legumes. Lentils are wicked good for you and so filling. This soup was good, in a “has potential” kind of way. As is, it’s kind of bland. Boring palates will love it, but I need a little more flavor. To kick it up a bit, you could add more soy sauce, or maybe roast the mushrooms with garlic or shallots instead of sauteeing them. Or just add some crushed red pepper or hot sauce… whatever’s going to give it the kind of heat or flavor you want. It was definitely good in its original form, but I’d need to make some changes for next time.
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
5 small carrots, diced small
1 medium red onion, diced small
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb cremini or button mushrooms, trimmed and coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
9 sprigs thyme
3/4 lb brown lentils (1 3/4 cups) – I think I only had green lentils
2 tbsp soy sauce
Greek yogurt for garnish (I did not use – I know the rest of the world goes crazy for Greek yogurt, but I can’t hang with the texture)
In a large Dutch oven, heat oil and add carrots, onion, garlic, and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until beginning to soften.
Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 8 minutes, until mushrooms are softened and golden brown.
Add thyme, lentils, and 7 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes or until lentils are tender.
Stir in soy sauce and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with Greek yogurt, if you like that sort of thing…
I have a few individual servings tucked away in the freezer, and I think that upon reheating I’ll add some more soy sauce and a few drops of hot sauce. And some nice crusty bread for dunking! Give this recipe a try, but don’t be afraid to tweak!
- Elizabeth
