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Lentil Soup with Dried Red Peppers

by 54 Comments

Lentil Soup – Quick, healthy and delicious soup prepared with lentils and dried red peppers.

lentil soup

A monster snow storm decided to take us down for three days last week. We had to deal with power outages which meant no TV, no computers, no internet (!!!) and uncharged cellular phones and laptops. You would think that by now, after 20 years of brutal Chicago snow storms, I would have learned to finally buy an electric generator. Nope. Still haven’t. And I don’t know why because I know what’s coming: boredom!

In all honesty, after a few hours we were all kind of sick of each other. What did we do before cell phones and the internet? Can you remember? Slept? Talked? Maybe even argued a bit more? Hmmmm…

Lentil Soup

But, wow, were we happy when that power came back on! My daughter, my niece, and I were back in the kitchen cooking up our favorite lentil soup that I had promised them, while hubby hung out in front of the TV catching up on the latest Soccer news.

Weather Gods, I am talking to you; seven hours without electricity is pretty cruel – give us a break next time around, please. I mean, I don’t mind being snowed in as long as everyone is home and the electricity is working. Thank you for listening.

If my grandma read this, she would say that the world has spoiled us rotten and then she would go into how she grew up with a lantern and gave birth to four kids inside her barely lit, phone-less house.

Lentil Soup

Speaking of grandma, (HI BABA! :)), this recipe is completely hers, and it is our favorite way to prepare lentil soup.

ENJOY!

lentil soup
Print
Lentil Soup
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

Quick, healthy and delicious soup prepared with lentils and dried red peppers. 

Course: Soup
Cuisine: Macedonian
Keyword: lentils, soup recipes
Servings: 4 to 6 serves
Calories: 337 kcal
Author: Katerina | Diethood
Ingredients
  • 8 oz. lentils
  • 2 sweet red dried peppers
  • 1 large onion quartered
  • 3 cloves garlic quartered
  • 6 cups vegetable broth or water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Instructions

  1. In a large soup pot, add in the lentils, peppers, onions and garlic.

  2. Pour in the water, set it over high heat and bring to a boil.

  3. Lower it to medium-low heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

  4. Ladle out some lentils and all of the red peppers into a bowl; season with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Mash it all with a fork and return to the pot. Make sure that you’ve mashed up the red peppers.

  5. Continue to simmer for 10 more minutes.
  6. In a separate sauce-pan heat up the oil over medium heat. The oil is ready when bubbles create around a wooden spoon.

  7. Stir the cayenne pepper into the heated oil and stir continuously for until well combined and fragrant.

  8. Stir the cayenne pepper mixture into the soup and let simmer for another 5 minutes.

  9. Remove from heat and serve.

Recipe Notes

WW FREESTYLE POINTS: 3

Nutrition Facts
Lentil Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 337 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 111mg 5%
Potassium 920mg 26%
Total Carbohydrates 42g 14%
Dietary Fiber 18g 72%
Sugars 3g
Protein 22g 44%
Vitamin A 12.2%
Vitamin C 7.5%
Calcium 5.6%
Iron 28.7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  8. that pot is so cool! my mom collects all sorts of ancient artifacts and she would love to add this to her collection…lol
    i am in chicago too and we had that power outage as well. i know exactly what you mean… i was sooooooo bored! i didn’t know what to do… couldn’t bake/cook, no tv, no internet 🙁
    i swear life had suddenly stopped! lol

    Reply

  9. I can not even fathom your weather!! I know I am totally spoiled! I’m so glad that you included pictures of outside for us to see too.
    Love the soup! I’m so glad that your power returned, I’m guessing that your house cooled off pretty quickly. bbbrrr!
    Nicely done to your grandma!

    Reply

  13. Now that is a perfect soup for anyone caught in the clutches of winter. That’s a lot of snow. Your pictures are fantastic. Stay warm and dry. Blessings…Mary

    Reply

  19. What would we do without our grandma’s soup? Looks incredible with the dried peppers in there. Wow! Glad to see you back online. It’s times like this that we start to think…. heaven forbid! Scary snowy photos.

    Reply

  21. umm, 7 hours without power in those weather conditions is a serious issue! does that affect the heat as well?!!! i’m glad you’re back, although i could hardly tell you were w.o. internet. i see your comments at all the food blogs and your posts on foodbuzz every few hours =)

    Reply

  22. Oh my! That picture of your cars is incredible, and the girls are so adorable. We’ve had a few years in Seattle where the snow made life miserable, so I can relate.

    I love the kick you give your lentil soup. Tons of flavor!

    Kristi

    Reply

  23. Dear God, I’m asking you the same thing as Kate did. No more outages please, the last one (almost 1 day) was more than enough. Thank you.

    the soup sounds so good. love your clay pot. my grandma used to have one and was cooking beans in it. ah, home sweet home.

    have a wonderful day Kate

    Reply

  27. Hi Kate-I love lentils and am loving your Baba’s recipe! Wow-looks nice and spicy.I have never seen that much snow before! So sorry to hear you were w/out power.The kids are too cute all bundled up.

    Reply

  29. I also Survived the Blizzard of 2011 in the Chicago burbs, but fortunately my power didn’t go out. Your soup certainly looks live survival food. I have lentils in my pantry, but I may have to add less cayenne pepper, but otherwise you soup looks so good. Love your snow pictures.

    Reply

  30. What a wonderful recipe from your Baba! We got the same storm…but more ice than snow. Now in for a deep freeze…when will Spring be here????

    Reply

  34. I cannot believe the brutal winter that everyone is having! We have many family and friends that have been battling the frozen tundra (as my sister calls it). Satisfying comfort foods help – as does electricity and a hefty dose of cayenne pepper! I’ve never prepared lentil soup in a clay pot or with a roux, but it certainly looks delicious.

    Reply

  44. Kate, I can’t imagine how you are surviving all that snow!! We would probably die here :))

    I love your soup!! This is one of my favorite and quite less ones I make at home… Yours look sooooo tasty and comforting!! And I love your pot 🙂

    Reply

  48. That blizzard packed a whallop! You do know how to survive it. Am making lentil soup tonight but rethinking my recipe as I gaze longingly at yours with those dried peppers.

    Reply

    • I have a vegetable garden and in the fall when we pick our peppers, I dry the red ones together with the tomatoes out in the sun for a couple of days.
      But I have also seen them at farmer’s markets. I hope that you’ll be able to find them!

      Reply

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