What was your regular after-school snack growing up? Going all the way back in memory to my elementary school years, I can remember my winter time after-school snack. It was a bit of an odd snack choice. What was it, you ask? A warm cup of red lentil soup. I know; strange, right!? Who does that to their kids?
Like any other kid, I craved a little junk food after a long school day. But whenever I asked for a snack, my mamma was always ready with a darn cup of red lentil soup:-)
In her defense, it was delicious! And I did enjoy sipping on something warm, particularly on cold and rainy days. My parents’ home was made of brick and concrete; no insulation; and no central heat. So my mom’s strategy for keeping us warm was twofold: thick socks and warm soup. It worked 🙂
Lentils are an essential part of Mediterranean cooking. Check out the Mediterranean Food Pyramid I found on Old Ways. Notice how large an area legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables etc. occupy on the Mediterranean Food Pyramid? They are meant to be consumed most frequently. That is a big reason why a Mediterranean diet is one of healthiest and most wholesome diets you can follow.
However tiny lentils are, they are mighty with nutrients. They are rich in cholesterol-lowering fiber, iron, B vitamins and more. You can read more about the benefits of eating lentils in this article.
Lucky for us, lentils are the easiest legumes to cook. They are quick to prepare; and they have a great ability to absorb flavors from herbs and spices, making delicious and robust meals.
While my mom served me a cup of simple lentil soup as a snack, I choose to serve a slightly more sophisticated version for dinner. No offense mom, but my kiddos are less inclined to think of lentil soup as a snack to be consumed by the mugful:-)
This time, I chose to pair my red lentils with sweet potato, for an autumn-appropriate vegetarian dish. The subtle sweetness of the sweet potato is nicely enveloped in the warmth and earthiness of mild curry, paprika and bay leaf. You will be surprised how exquisite lentils can taste with this combination of flavors!
Hands down, this is one of my family’s favorite lentil dishes along with the butternut squash lentil and quinoa.
Hope you give it a try soon. Or PIN it for a Thanksgiving meal starter or side dish!
Here is how this curried red lentil and sweet potato soup goes:
Start with a red onion. Thinly slice one half of the onion; then chop the other half. Cube the sweet potato, and chop celery and garlic.
In a non-stick pan or skillet, heat one tbsp of olive oil. Saute sliced onions on medium-high until fairly brown and crispy. Remove onions onto a paper towel to drain any excess oil.
In a large pot, heat three tbsp of olive oil. Add chopped onions, sweet potato and celery and saute on medium-high, stirring occasionally, for five minutes or until slightly tender. Now add garlic, curry, seasoned salt, paprika and bay leaf. Toss together briefly.
Pour in three cans of vegetable broth. Cook on medium-high and bring to a boil. As broth is boiling, stir in rinsed red lentils.
Continue to cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for three to four minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for another five to seven minutes, stirring occasionally.
Test to make sure vegetables and lentils are fully cooked and tender. Adjust spices as needed. To finish, stir in heavy cream and let cook briefly to warm through.
Divide into serving bowls, and garnish each with a bit of the browned and crispy onions prepared earlier. Add your favorite bread. Enjoy!
I am cooking up some easy and special recipes for this holiday season! If you have not yet subscribed, please leave me your e-mail so I can be sure to send you my recipes with step-by-step photo instructions.
Stay in touch! I am on Facebook and Pinterest; would love to connect there as well!
Print
Curried Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
Description
For this recipe, I chose to pair my red lentils with sweet potato, for an autumn-appropriate vegetarian dish. The subtle sweetness of the sweet potato is nicely enveloped in the warmth and earthiness of mild curry, paprika and bay leaf. You will be surprised how exquisite lentils can taste with this combination of flavors!
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 large red onion, halved, divided, chop one half of the onion and thinly slice the other half
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled, cubed into approximately 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tsp mild yellow curry
- 1 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 15-oz cans vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients as indicated above.
- In a non-stick pan or skillet, heat one tbsp of olive oil. Saute sliced onions on medium-high until fairly brown and crispy. Remove onions onto a paper towel to drain.
- In a large pot, heat three tbsp of olive oil. Add chopped onions, sweet potato and celery and saute on medium-high, stirring occasionally, for five minutes or until slightly tender.
- Now add garlic, curry, seasoned salt, paprika and bay leaf. Toss together briefly.
- Pour in three cans of vegetable broth. Cook on medium-high and bring to a boil.
- As broth is boiling, stir in rinsed red lentils.
- Continue to cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for three to four minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for another five to seven minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Test to make sure vegetables and lentils are fully cooked and tender. Adjust spices as needed.
- To finish, stir in heavy cream and let cook briefly to warm through.
- Serve with a garnish of the browned and crispy onions prepared earlier. Add your favorite bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- For a vegan version of this soup, add one cup of vegetable broth earlier and omit the last step of string in heavy cream.
- You can make this soup one night ahead. Be sure to stop at step #9, let cool and refrigerate over night. Before serving, follow step #10 by heating the soup well and stirring in the heavy cream.
- Recommended for this Recipe: Our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives!)
- Visit our store to browse our spices, olive oils and bundles!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Entree/Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Try these delicious recipes:
Roasted Pear and Sweet Potato Gratin
I made this last night and it was delicious!! Such a great recipe and easy to make. Thank you!
what is seasoned salt?
Hi, Tess! This is what we’re referring to when we mentions “seasoned salt.”
What is mild yellow curry? Is it “curry powder” or something different?
Hi, Tess. Yes, it’s a curry powder.
This is an excellent recipe-perfect instructions yielding a delicious and filling soup.
Quick and easy!
So glad you enjoyed it, Pamela!
How long to cook red lentil? I total together & its just 12 mins.
Hi, Odelia. You want to cook the lentils for 8-11 minutes here, until fully cooked and tender.
Is the sweet potato raw from the start of the recipe? I’m wondering how it seems to soften quickly in this recipe. Thank you
Hi, Dusty. Yep! The sweet potatoes are raw from the start. Just be sure they are 1/2 cubes and they should be just fine. Enjoy!
I made this last night and with a couple of slight amendments we really enjoyed it.
1 tsp of curry powder was way too mild for us so I increased it to 3 and as per a few other comments on here I swapped out the heavy cream with 400ml of light coconut milk. I also added some chilli flakes and coriander towards the end.
I would certainly make this again and would consider putting it in the blender at the end for a smooth consistency.
Oh my gosh is this soup delicious! Didn’t have seasoned salt so used Nature’s Seasoning and subbed whole milk for cream to cut down on calories and fat. It smells great, tastes delicious. Yum!!!
Oh, my, this is delicious! An incredibly satisfying warm-your-belly bowl of soup! I’m so glad you are a soup lover, Suzy. I’m going to be making more of your soups!
Thanks so much, Karen!