Chipotle Lentil Soup
Chipotle Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cooking oil (e.g. canola, avocado)
- 1 medium onion, diced small
- 1 bell pepper, diced small
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 2 cans (14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes (or 1 large 28 oz can) (see note 1)
- 2 chipotle peppers from canned chipotle peppers in adobo, deseeded and minced (see note 2)
- 2 tbsp adobo sauce from can of chipotle peppers
- 32 oz vegetable broth
- 2 ½ cups red lentils (see note 3)
- Squeeze of lime (fresh or from the bottle), optional
- Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, diced avocados
Instructions
- Warm oil in a large pot on the stove-top over medium-high heat.
- When oil is hot, add onions and bell peppers and saute until they begin to soften and the veggies start to release some of their juices, about 5-8 minutes.
- Stir in cumin, oregano, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute longer, stirring frequently so the spices do not begin to burn (see note 4).
- Add in diced tomatoes, diced chipotle peppers, and adobo sauce. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in vegetable broth and lentils and stir to combine.
- Bring mixture to a soft boil and then reduce heat to simmer.
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are cooked through and soft (see note 5).
- Squeeze in lime to taste, if using.
- Scoop into bowls and top with cilantro and avocado, if desired.
Notes
- Canned fire roasted tomatoes are a nice touch if you can find them or have them on hand. They add some depth of flavor to the dish without extra work on your end. If you can't find them, it's no problem, regular canned diced tomatoes will work just as well.
- Feel free to leave the seeds in if you like a lot of heat and spice in your dish. If you're not a fan of spiciness, definitely remove the seeds and even feel free to use less of the peppers to start with. You can always add more if you want more of a kick, but it's hard to remove spiciness from the dish once it's there.
- Red lentils are nice in this recipe. They get somewhat mushy depending on how long you cook them and can add some thickness/heartiness to the soup. If you have a different kind of lentil, that's no problem. You may just end up with a different (but still delicious!) texture. If you use a different type of lentil, adjust your cooking time accordingly in Step 6 above.
- Cooking the spices over the heat in Step 3 before adding the next ingredients can really help to bring out their flavors and enhance the overall flavor of the dish. Due to the high heat of the pan, things can go from cooking to burning pretty quick here though. Adding a small splash of water can help cool things down quick before it goes too far into burning territory. In this recipe, if it seems to be heading in that direction, adding the diced tomatoes can salvage things as there is quite a bit of liquid in that can. Having the can open and in arms reach before you add the spices can be helpful here.
- You can test the lentils at the 15-20 minute mark. I like to cook mine so some are starting to break down and adding thickness to the soup while some are still somewhat whole to add some texture to the dish.
Buying a can of chipotle peppers in adobo is a wonderful thing. You can find it in the Mexican/spanish section of the grocery store. The can costs less than $1.00 and you can usually get several uses out of it depending on what you’re making. This recipe uses only about a third to a half of the can. When you open the can, you get a bunch of chipotle peppers in this thick, red sauce. The adobo sauce is where a lot of the flavor come from for this soup with its vinegar-y, spicy goodness.
The seeds of a pepper are where a majority of the heat/spice comes from. To tone down the spice level of the soup, you’re going to want to de-seed the peppers. I find it easiest to scrape the dull edge of a knife along the pepper to squeeze out all of the seeds. If you like it a little hotter, leave some seeds for more of a kick. But just a warning, they can be pretty spicy!
And here’s another trick when working with peppers if you don’t want to be in pain when you’re done cooking and itch your eyes several hours later only to find it incredibly painful. If you don’t have disposable gloves in your kitchen (because let’s be real, most of us do not), I like to use a plastic sandwich bag and put it over my hand to act as a barrier. And then when I’m done working with the peppers I can easily get rid of it and go about my day without fear of burning out my eyeballs.
Without further ado, this mildly spicy soup is perfect for a chilly winter day and any leftovers freeze extremely well.
Chipotle Lentil Soup
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
2 tbsp cooking oil (e.g. canola, avocado)
1 medium onion, diced small
1 bell pepper, diced small
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp oregano
1 tsp granulated garlic
2 cans (14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes (or 1 large 28 oz can) (see note 1)
2 chipotle peppers from canned chipotle peppers in adobo, deseeded and minced (see note 2)
2 tbsp adobo sauce from can of chipotle peppers
32 oz vegetable broth
2 ½ cups red lentils (see note 3)
Squeeze of lime (fresh or from the bottle), optional
Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, diced avocados
Directions:
Warm oil in a large pot on the stove-top over medium-high heat.
When oil is hot, add onions and bell peppers and saute until they begin to soften and the veggies start to release some of their juices, about 5-8 minutes.
Stir in cumin, oregano, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute longer, stirring frequently so the spices do not begin to burn (see note 4).
Add in diced tomatoes, diced chipotle peppers, and adobo sauce. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add in vegetable broth and lentils and stir to combine.
Bring mixture to a soft boil and then reduce heat to simmer.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are cooked through and soft (see note 5).
Squeeze in lime to taste, if using.
Scoop into bowls and top with cilantro and avocado, if desired.
Notes:
Canned fire roasted tomatoes are a nice touch if you can find them or have them on hand. They add some depth of flavor to the dish without extra work on your end. If you can't find them, it's no problem, regular canned diced tomatoes will work just as well.
Feel free to leave the seeds in if you like a lot of heat and spice in your dish. If you're not a fan of spiciness, definitely remove the seeds and even feel free to use less of the peppers to start with. You can always add more if you want more of a kick, but it's hard to remove spiciness from the dish once it's there.
Red lentils are nice in this recipe. They get somewhat mushy depending on how long you cook them and can add some thickness/heartiness to the soup. If you have a different kind of lentil, that's no problem. You may just end up with a different (but still delicious!) texture. If you use a different type of lentil, adjust your cooking time accordingly in Step 6 above.
Cooking the spices over the heat in Step 3 before adding the next ingredients can really help to bring out their flavors and enhance the overall flavor of the dish. Due to the high heat of the pan, things can go from cooking to burning pretty quick here though. Adding a small splash of water can help cool things down quick before it goes too far into burning territory. In this recipe, if it seems to be heading in that direction, adding the diced tomatoes can salvage things as there is quite a bit of liquid in that can. Having the can open and in arms reach before you add the spices can be helpful here.
You can test the lentils at the 15-20 minute mark. I like to cook mine so some are starting to break down and adding thickness to the soup while some are still somewhat whole to add some texture to the dish.
