Red Lentil Soup

Steps

1. Add the red lentils to a bowl, cover with water, and soak for 20 minutes. Multitasking: In the meantime, prep the onion and sweet potatoes (I prep the garlic, ginger, and green chili while the onions cook). After 20 minutes, drain the lentils and rinse with fresh water.

2. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. If the onions brown too quickly, add a splash of water and/or lower the heat a touch.Multitasking: If you feel comfortable multitasking, you can use this time to prep the garlic, ginger, and green chili.

3. Add the garlic ginger, green chili if using, and tomato paste. Stir almost constantly for 2 minutes, stirring the tomato paste into the aromatics. Add the ras el hanout, coriander, and cumin. Stir constantly for 30 seconds. If it starts to dry out, add a splash of water to deglaze the pan.

4. Add the finely diced sweet potatoes, lentils, vegetable broth, water, bay leaf, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, and several cracks of pepper.NOTE: If using sea salt or Morton’s kosher salt, use 1 ¼ teaspoons. If using table salt, use 1 teaspoon.

5. Stir to combine and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are soft and sweet potatoes are tender and have softened, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and scoop out the bay leaf.NOTE: If the sweet potatoes still have some bite, simmer for another 5 minutes or until they're tender.

6. Add an immersion blender to the pot and start on low speed. Blend roughly half of the soup until it’s thicker and creamy but some texture still remains. Don’t blend it all!If you don't have an immersion blender, carefully transfer roughly half of the soup to a stand blender. Remove the center cap and replace it with a dish towel to allow venting, and blend until pureed. Stir the puree back into the soup.

7. Add several squeezes of lemon juice and the cilantro to the soup. Taste, adding salt or pepper as needed. Serve in bowls and garnish with a dollop or two of yogurt, a drizzle or two of extra virgin olive oil, and the chopped mint. If desired, serve with flatbread on the side.