1. Saute veggies in oil about 10 minutes in large pot.
2. Add lentils and water (or broth), bay leaf, cloves, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer about 2 hours. Remove bay leaf and cloves.
You can eat immediately. This gets better in the fridge overnight. If you overstir or overcok it, the lentils will break into a mush so be careful.
Source of recipe: This is my mom's recipe for lentil soup.
Yum. 4.5 out of 5 stars. I didn't have cloves and I skipped the bay leaf (since usually I forget to take it out), and followed the good suggestion of using a lot more water than what is called for. I followed the instructions otherwise and ended up with a very nice and healthful soup. I had the added benefit of time so I had it on low on the stove for a good long while. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I like the clove. It adds a nice flavor to the lentils. But the ratios in this recipy are WAY OFF. I don't know why I didn't catch this sooner. 2 1/2 cups of liquid is not enough to even cook lentils, much less make soup. This has to be a typo. I started with 3 cups, added a fourth cup of broth, and then added more water, another two cups of water, and finally some more. I have no idea how much it finally took, but it was way more than 2 1l2 cups and my soup was very thick.
I would skip the sauteing and add the veggies a bit later in the cooking process so they taste less mushy and retain more nutrients. One can also "layer" the onions, so some get cooked into mush while some remain distinct in the soup. I also tend to add more green herbs like parsley.
I just made this and it was delicious and so simple. It was perfect for a crisp fall afternoon.