Homemade Lentil Soup
When I was a little girl, Mommy used to make Lentil soup. A lot. I hated it and was always trying to get out of eating my full bowl. Now that I’m older, I’ve learned to appreciate a good hearty soup, and was having difficulty finding a recipe comparable to what I remembered, growing up!
My mother lives with us now, and I am the happy beneficiary of her recipe books, and grandmother’s. They run the gamut from a 1973 Woman’s Day encyclopedia set of recipes to an old, worn, recipe book that I have never had the nerve to thumb through, for fear that it will fall apart. The intermediate box, with written-out recipes on cards, notepads, and various-sized papers, is what I was looking through for a different recipe when I found this “Vegan American Princess Lentil Soup” recipe.
Now, I know this is not the recipe Mommy used in my childhood. But the fact that she took the time to write it out by hand and save it, told me all I needed to know.
Recipe
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 Lg onion
2 Garlic cloves
6 Red potatoes, cubed (can substitute any type of potato. I used Gold and Russet)
4 Stalks celery
8 Baby carrots (or equivalent, I used two medium-sized carrots)
1 pkg lentils (I used a 32 oz bag)
6-8 Cups water (I went ahead with 8)
3 Vegetable bouillon cubes (I used Herb-Ox chicken bouillon cubes)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Bay leaves
Directions
Heat Oil, add onions, garlic, then potatoes, celery and carrots.
Add lentils, water
(Non-vegan, add your meat of choice)
Bring to a boil, skim the scum off the top.
Add bouillon, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.
Return to boil if needed, then cover loosely with lid and simmer until lentils and vegetables are tender, and broth is thickened. About 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Stir often to prevent sticking
Meat Options
Mommy always used smoked turkey neck bones. They are delicious.
I used chicken gizzards (!) – soaked them first in water and apple cider vinegar for about 30 minutes, then strained them and mixed them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then, I popped them in the oven at 350° for about 45 minutes (?). I wasn’t really tracking. But they were nice and brown, and about half the original size when I checked on them so I figured they were ready. There was a lot of liquid in the pan, so be aware that is to be expected.
You can also use ham chunks, or whatever you prefer. They just need to be bite-sized pieces of meat.
The gizzards will cook down even more and turn out to be super tender when the soup is done.
Turkey neck bones will also be super tender but you have to be careful of the little bones.
Real-life notes and inspiration:
You can use whatever oil you have on hand, especially if you are not making this a vegan dish.
I placed the lentils in a bowl with water as a preliminary rinse while I cut up the other ingredients. Then I strained the water and used it in the soup as part of the 8 cups.
This recipe filled a 5-qt pot. It turned out quite thick when cooled, so when we reheated for leftovers, we added a little water to our individual bowls. I think this recipe would be fine with a 16 oz pkg of lentils, and 6 cups of water.
I used 7 potatoes because I wasn’t paying attention. 5 small Gold, 2 medium Russet. I kind of liked it that way, and it added to the texture.
I did not use the red peppers listed in the original recipe.
It’s a funny thing that lately, I keep being drawn to Philippians 4. Last week in my devotional time I was really digging into Philippians 4:4-9. Usually, I’ll go all into the context of the passage, and this time, I didn’t. So when I went searching for “I have learned in all things to be content . . .” I was surprised to see that also is found in Philippians 4. Specifically, Verses 11:b-12. The writer was Paul. You know, the apostle who was whipped, beaten, shipwrecked, and in danger from every people group and in every public location. II Cor 11:24-26 NIV Refreshers are good.
Be content. Whether I’m shopping every weekend, or rediscovering recipes based on provision from the food pantry.
Be content. Whether I can travel and come and go as I please, or whether I’m homebound with Mommy.
Be content. To worship and shift the atmosphere in my own home.
Because, as Paul writes, there is nothing that can separate me from the love of Christ. Romans 8:35-39 Paul would know. And to be honest, that is the best promise of them all. I will be content as I expectantly wait for the fulfillment of some of the others.
Pioneer Tips
Every ingredient in this dish came from our local food pantry. When I made this, I had just come across the Canadian Pioneer Woman! So here are some extra things I did, rather than throwing all the scraps into the compost pile. Way to work the power of pioneering!
- The onion peels will be saved as I go. The bucket is in the freezer for now, and when it is full, the peels will be cooked down in a pot of water to make onion broth and saved for later.
- The potato skins were crispy oven-baked as a side dish to the soup. Recipe below.
- Peeled carrot skins were dehydrated and will be used to make carrot powder!
Side Dishes
Lentil soup always goes great with cornbread. We used to make it with the recipe on the back of the Quaker Corn Meal box, but I don’t think it’s the same anymore. I’ll post the handwritten recipe shortly.
Update – here is the Golden Cornbread recipe!
For this meal, I wanted to make something with the peeled potato skins and found this recipe online. It turned out great with the Gold and Russet potato skins mix!
I doubt you will find this lentil soup recipe anywhere online, and, I would love to hear from you! Let me know if you tried it out, how you liked it, and if you made any variations!
Happy cooking!
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