Magic Tomato-Red Lentil Soup

Can you imagine a veggie-type soup that is so hardy you don't need to add meat? Or cheese? Or even another vegetable besides the required tomato paste?  Yes, I count tomato paste as veggie ... fight me.

Not even onions, or their fancy-schmancy shallot cousins.  Promise, you won't miss them.

Not even a lot of ingredients, either:  olive oil/butter, tomato paste, lentils (duh!) a couple herbs and spices, plus a lemon.   That's why I call this baby magic.  I'd also call it easy, but a Dear Reader thinks any recipe with more than 5 ingredients is difficult. 

This soup kinda reminds me of franks and beans.  But without the franks.  Or the beans. You can add franks (or sausage) to the soup if you'd like.  I give the option in the recipe.

But don't even think of using leftover rotisserie or grilled chicken (ask me how I know).

But Dear Reader or not, this is rather easy to throw together ... 'cause from starting to finishing is easily under 30 minutes, with maybe 10 minutes of actual work by you.  The soup does the rest of the magic itself (unless you drop the salt box all over the floor ... don't ask).

But it's okay for you to take the credit anyway.  I'll never tell.

Magic  Tomato Red Lentil Soup
Adapted from: NY Times
Yield: 4-5 servings
Note:  Serve with a hunk of crusty bread for an easy lunch.

2 Tbl.  olive oil (or butter)
1 (6 oz. ) can tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. za’atar (or dried oregano), divided
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. red-pepper flakes plus additional to taste (if you like heat), divided
1 cup red lentils, rinsed, drained, and picked over for debris
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, plus additional to taste, divided
1 whole lemon

Optional:
8 ozs. sausages or franks, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds then sautéed until seared, browned and fully cooked

or

4 ozs. regular or herb goat (or ricotta) cheese 

In a 10-inch skillet (with lid), heat olive oil (or butter) over medium flame. Add tomato paste, garlic, coriander, 1/2 teaspoon of the za’atar (or oregano), smoked paprika, and 1 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes. Sauté frequently until the mixture turns slightly darker and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan (this happens just a bit even with nonstick), 2 to 4 minutes.  Sautéing really brings out deep flavor of the ingredients so don’t skip it.

Add 4 1/2 cups of water, lentils and 1 teaspoon of the Kosher salt. Increase heat to medium-high, deglazing (scraping any browned bits stuck to the pan), along with breaking up any big chunks of tomato paste mixture. Partially cover the pan and bring to a simmer.  Then completely cover pot, reduce heat to low, and let simmer until lentils just start to break down, about 20 minutes (if not sure, spoon out a few lentils and carefully taste: they should be soft yet maintain their shape). Stir occasionally, scraping any lentils that may be sticking to bottom of the pan.

While soup is simmering, finely zest the entire lemon into a small bowl. Then cut lemon into wedges for serving and set aside.. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon Za’atar (or oregano), 1/2 teaspoon each of the red pepper flakes and salt to the zest. Rub lemon mixture with your (preferably clean) fingers to release that fresh lemony smell.  Taste and add more kosher salt and/or red-pepper flakes if needed

  Optionally stir in seared sausage (or frank) pieces, if using. Taste soup; season if needed with additional kosher salt.

Ladle soup into individual bowls.  If using, top each serving with the cheese, Sprinkle top of cheese evenly with the lemon-herb mixture (because it'll look pretty) or just toss mixture onto the soup. Serve each bowl with reserved lemon wedge alongside to squeeze on additional lemon flavor.