Italian Lentil Soup

(This recipe is based on and modified from Derek Sarno's youtube video. Watch his videos as they are informative and he makes great vegan dishes.)

Ingredients:
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 bell peppers, diced
  • 2 medium potatoes, cubed
  • 1 large carrot, peeled + chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 6 cloves of garlic or 1 tablespoon minced or diced garlic
  • 1 small can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup green lentils
  • 4 cups of water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 3/4 teaspoon anise seeds
  • 1 teaspoon white peppercorn
  • pinch of dried chili flakes or gochugaru pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 lemon zested and juiced

Cooking Steps:
  1. Dice the onions, peppers, carrot, and celery somewhat small to better match the lentil size.
  2. Cube the potatoes approximately 3/4" in size.
  3. In a mortar, crush the coriander, fennel, anise, white peppercorn, and chili flakes with your pestle until coarse.
  4. Add the garlic, lemon zest, and smoked paprika and pound into a paste.
  5. In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil to a medium heat and add the tomato paste. Cook until it starts to darken and caramelize.
  6. Add the spice paste and stir.
  7. Add all the diced vegetables (not the potatoes) and stir until they are coated in the spice mixture.
  8. Add the lentils, water, crushed tomatoes, the lemon juice, and the bay leaves and simmer for 5 minutes.
  9. Add the potatoes and simmer until the potatoes and lentils are soft. Add more water if needed.
  10. Add the vegetable bouillon and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves and serve.
Serving Options:

Pairs well with white rice. Can top with baked and seasoned tofu, blanched collard greens, or vegan chorizo.