I’ve come across a really good and relatively simple recipe for lentil soup, and thought I’d share it right away before I misplace it! I wish I knew where I got it from, but that information will sadly have to wait until I figure it out and can add it to this post.

I made this recipe for the first time on a rainy day in early spring a few weeks back, and was so pleased with the results that I decided to write a post about it. Lentils are a special food, a special type of legume, with all kinds of important benefits for your health. And they taste good.

The lentils I chose for this recipe are called “lentils du puy.” These green lentils are on the small side, with green and black speckles. The speckles disappear once they are cooked, but they are adorable when you spy them in the cabinet. The original recipe actually called for red lentils, which I also love, in part for the fact that they cook so quickly, but I did not have any of those on hand. So I chose the lentils du puy. These lentils stay somewhat firm, and definitely don’t become a mushy mess. Plus, it’s nice to have a couple different types of lentils in your cabinet at any given time. You just never know.

Speaking about different kinds, the red wine vinegar I used for this recipe comes with a story. At any given moment, my cabinet generally has two or three kinds of vinegar, but I’m never sure what’s been used up and what needs replacing. On the particular day I made this soup, I discovered bottles of white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and rice vinegar. But no red wine vinegar. Luckily, though, I remembered that I had left an open half-bottle of red wine on my pantry shelf last summer. I was encouraged to start this project by my friend Connie, who has a collection of magically delicious home-brewed vinegars fermenting away in lovely wine bottles on her kitchen counter. I had happened to speak with her the day before, which is how I remembered the bottle of wine on the shelf. I poured a little of my experimental vinegar into a measuring cup and took a taste with the tip of my pinky. Delicious, and I mean it. It provided the perfect bright, flavorful note to this delicious soup. Unless you’re feeling extremely industrious and adventuresome (and patient), feel free to just pick up a bottle of red wine vinegar at the grocery store.

Ingredients
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2-3 medium-large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
3 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
3 Tbsp. olive oil
15-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 cup green lentils (du puy)
4 cups water
1 tsp. cumin
1/2-1 tsp. Sriracha
1 tsp. salt, more to taste
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Sauté the onion and carrots in a generous amount of olive oil for 5 minutes, add garlic, and continue to sauté until the ingredients are softened.

Add lentils, tomatoes, water, Sriracha, and cumin. Simmer 1 hour until thick, and stir in the red wine vinegar. Serve right away, or reheat for dinner. Serves 4-6.