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Smoky Tomato Soup with French Lentils

Rose McAvoy
Lightly Adapted from Steeped: Recipes Infused with Tea by Annelies Zijderveld, Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC 2015
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 191 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon safflower grapeseed, or other neutral oil
  • 1 medium white onion finely chopped (1 cup)
  • 1 medium red bell pepper peeled, roasted, and finely chopped (1 cup)*
  • 3 cups lapsang souchong tea brewed (2 bags or 1 tablespoon loose)**
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup French lentils***
  • 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (I use San Marzano), with the liquid
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt****
  • ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions
 

  • Place an 8-quart stockpot over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Swirl in the oil to coat. Sauté the onion, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the tea, water, lentils, and the liquid from the tomatoes.
  • With your hands, break up the tomatoes over the pot and drop them in. Stir in the salt, red pepper flakes, and thyme. Turn the heat up to medium and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Purée or blend until almost smooth with some chunks. Serve with Parmesan Thyme Crisps (below).

Notes

*You may substitute jarred bell peppers, look for water packed roasted red peppers, they are often near pasta or vinegar in the super market.
**lapsang souchong tea can be found on-line if you can not find it in your supermarket. I purchased a small bag or loose tea from Stash tea company via Amazon.
***French lentils are wonderful in this soup. Unlike brown lentils that can get a bit muddy, these hold their shape and stay tender when cooked. Similar in size to brown and red lentils, you will recognize French lentils by their almost reptilian green and blue speckled coloring.
****If sodium is a concern, omit the salt from the cooking steps and slash the sodium in this recipe by nearly half. You can also look for no salt added canned tomatoes. If the flavor needs a little perking up, sprinkle a few grains of salt to each bowl prior to serving.