Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices (Recipe #69)

        I love an easy soup that can come together quickly for lunch. This red lentil soup with spices was very easy and did not call for many ingredients!

I started by sauteing onion with salt until it was soft. Then, I added coriander, cumin, ginger, cinamon, and cayenne. After the spices became fragrant, I added tomato paste and garlic. I waited one minute before adding vegetable broth, water, and lentils. I let that simmer for about 15 minutes. While the soup was simmering, I prepared the spicy oil. The spicy oil was composed of heated extra-virgin olive oil, paprika, and mint. Once everything was ready, I topped my soup with some oil and cilantro.

I enjoyed the variety of spices in this dish and the ease of putting it together. I did end up making a side of vegetables for us so we could have it on the side with some soup. I also had a little bit of salsa with chips to finish my lunch. I like the idea of how simple this soup was, but the spices had a very unique flavor to them. I think next time that I make this soup I would want to add more to the soup (maybe rice or tomatoes?). I think I would also omit the spicy oil. I like the oil, but the mint was very strong and overtook the dish. I would make the oil again with just the oil and paprika to bring more flavor to the soup without being overwhelming.

Taste: 7/10

Level of difficulty: 1/5--so easy!

Notes for next time: I liked the soup, but I think I would omit the hot oil or leave out the mint in the oil.