A hearty red lentil soup recipe is so easy to make. It cooks up in 30 minutes and is so delicious.
It's a staple in winter, but is good all year round, making a great traditional German meal. Once cooked, the red lentils take on a reddish-golden color and taste similar to yellow split pea soup.
You can use many types of meat or keep it vegetarian. I usually use smoked meat, kielbasa, sausage, or ham. Any leftover roast meat works as well.
Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. If you want to leave the sausage whole for serving, pierce it several times to let flavors mingle into the soup.
There are several ways to seasoning the soup once it is served in the bowls. My husband just loves it the way it is. My kids add between one teaspoon to one tablespoon of vinegar to the bowl. My grandmother added one teaspoon of honey to the bowl!
The traditional red lentil soup recipe for me? I add the vinegar! Try each and see what your favorite is.
German Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
1 package (1 lb.) red lentils, rinsed
8 cups water
2 - 3 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 onion, large dice
2 carrots, large dice
1 - 2 stalks celery, large dice
2 - 3 raw potatoes, large dice
1 lb (approx.) meat (see above)
salt, pepper
Instructions:
Put rinsed lentils in large stock pot. Add water, bouillon cubes, onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, and meat.
Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season to taste.
Hints:
If soup is too thick, add extra water.
You can adjust the quantities of potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, and onion to your taste.
If you like, add some chopped garlic or garlic powder.
Green (or brown) lentil soup is made the same way - you may need to add extra water. This will also take longer to cook - I usually simmer this for about one hour. Stir occasionally.
Instead of the bouillon cubes, I often just use Vegeta powder to taste, before I season with salt.
