Today is the first fall day that feels like fall. Hanging out at the house on my day off today, I needed to add a sweatshirt to my usual jeans and t-shirt. The fall-ish weather inspired me to simmer up a big ole pot of soup. I had already gotten the stuff to try Christy’s Dal recipe at Home Celebrations. She makes hers super easy by throwing everything in the Crock Pot. I thought I would make mine just like she wrote it, but then I:
- forgot the cabbage at the grocery store,
- waited too late to start it in the Crock Pot,
- got bored dealing with that many veggies
- pulled back just a little on the amount of curry powder,
- and decided to serve mine over rice, gumbo style, topped with a little yogurt.
Other than that, it’s a lot like hers! (Thanks, Christy!)
This was perfect for a cool, rainy day and it made the house smell really good!
Red Lentil Soup over Rice
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| This was my grandmother’s soup pot. |
Heat 2 T. olive oil in large soup pot.
Add:
1 onion, chopped (I used a yellow onion)
1 large carrot, halved lengthwise & thinly sliced
1 rib celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced (I used a garlic press)
1 zucchini, cubed (about 1/2″ cubes)
Cook until tender.
Add:
1 T. freshly grated ginger
1 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. ground cloves
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 t. curry powder (Spice Island)
2 t. McCormick Hot Madras Curry Powder
Stir it around and add:
1 lb. bag red lentils (look more orange to me)
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
2 vegetable bullion cubes
4 cups of water (I added more later)
Bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour or so. Lentils cook pretty fast. Add more water if you want a soupier soup. Add salt to taste. And, of course, remove the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves before serving.
I served this over cooked rice and topped with a dollop of plain yogurt. Feel free to improvise. I did!
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I am participating in Hearth and Soul Hop — Volume 16. There are tons more great recipes and ideas over there!
Tidings of Comfort & Joy 
Looks delicious!
This looks and sounds like a wonderful recipe. I'll try it once it gets cooler here in south TX. Thanks.
Soup…sweatshirts…I love fall! I'm so ready for it! And btw – on a different subject…I'd love to talk more about the religion vs. spirituality question on my blog last week. The conference I attended was really helpful.
Some days are like that! Looks delicious.
…other than that… LOL!! It sounds like the perfect way to welcome in fall!! Thank you for sharing this with the hearth and soul hop this week =)
Hi Sharon! I am so glad you decided to join us on the hearth and soul hop! I am now following your blog and I look forward to getting to know you better as the hops move forward. I love taking someone's lovely recipe and making it my own. It doesn't make it better, it just makes it different. I was commenting the other day to a friend on how you can tkae the same basic ingredients and make something totaly different based on your mood that day! thanks so much for sharing on the hearth and soul hop! Alex@amoderatelife
Isn't it wonderful how a recipe can be transformed when it filters through different imaginations and kitchens. More often than not, lovely things result, like your recipe. Welcome autumn! Thank you for sharing with the Hearth and Soul hop!
Great looking soup and I love that you're using what was your grandmother's soup pot – I have some old china mixing bowls I cherish that were my grandmother's.Sue 🙂
Oh, that looks great!We're just stepping into fall, with temps only in the upper 70's, and I can't wait to pull out the sweatshirts. I really can't wait. I'm a huge fan of soup, so I'm filing this one away. Thank you!
I love the change of seasons especially in the kitchen! Soup is such a wonderful fall meal and I love red lentil soups! Thanks for sharing with us at the hearth and soul hop!