This delicious cumin-flavored rice brings out the taste of many bland meals! This dish can be deliciously modified by adding onion, ginger, entire black peppercorns, cloves, or a cinnamon stick after the cumin seeds. To create a rice that is flavor-packed, you may also combine all of the aforementioned possibilities!
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 6 hrs 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 6 hrs 25 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- ¾ cup diced celery
- ¾ cup diced carrots
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups green or brown lentils
- 2 cups water
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon balsamic or sherry vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, carrots, and garlic with salt, stirring occasionally, until limp and browning, about 10 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a slow cooker with tomato sauce, lentils, water, broth, bay leaf, thyme, and vinegar. Cook on Low for 6 hours.
- For vinaigrette, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and salt.
- Taste soup for salt, then serve with a drizzle of vinaigrette over each bowl.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 392 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 47 g |
| Cholesterol | 3 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 21 g |
| Protein | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Sodium | 1102 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 15 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Added Polska Kielbasa 1/2 ” slices and crushed tomatoes, extra balsàmic vinegar for my bowl. Didn’t have any Thyme (omitted) Cooked it stovetop in about 50 min. Wonderful original flavor! Just like Mama used to make!
The vinaigrette is definitely a must add. I didnt use a slow cooker just made this like a regular lentil soup and it was delicious. Also used baby spinach at the end instead of celery since thats what I had. Highly recommend for a cheap, filling, meatless meal thatll feed alot of people.
This was stupendous. Made it today for dinner tonight. Made it as printed but did not use vinaigrette topping. Had it with buttered Tuscan bread. It was to die for. OMG
This is the best lentil soup recipe I have found.
Very lovely blend of flavors. I didn’t use the optional vinaigrette and used dried thyme instead of a sprig. Used consume granules instead of chicken or vegetable. Very nice lentil soup with no tweaking needed.
Being fond of garlic, I added a bit extra.
I’ve never liked lentil soup, but this one is outstanding!!! It is not earthy tasting like most others. I used dried thyme instead of fresh, and forgot to do the vinaigrette when it was done, But this soup was amazing. It’ll be on my repeat list!
I will make again. I would add more balsamic vinegar and a touch of Worcestershire sauce.
The soup was very good. The vinaigrette proved to be too much for my family, but we’ll make the soup again!
the lentils never softened up, even after cooking in the crockpot for 18 hours..
Delicious! I have been making lentil soup for years, trying many different recipes and I think I found the ONE. It’s delicious and the garlic vinaigrette drizzle is excellent. If I would add/change anything, it would be to add more garlic to the vinaigrette (one more clove), and add some shaved Parmesan to each bowl of soup. Serve it up with some crusty French bread, and a full-bodied red wine and you have a gourmet meal! (I also added some chicken sausage which made the soup even heartier.)
I was surprised at how good this was since it was so easy to make! I added extra balsamic (probably triple the amount) to the soup itself by accident but turned out to be a good mistake 😉 Didn’t use thyme (not a fan) but otherwise followed recipe exactly and was really good. Will make again.
I have made this several times. My family loves it. The vinaigrette really makes it! I increased the garlic–my family loves garlic! It gets better a day or so later.
Thyme made it taste musty. The vinegar was too much.
this even better the next day! after 24 hrs it tasted like it had meat in it! didn’t use any water just a mix of veg broth and chicken broth, both homemade. delicious with fresh-baked whole wheat bread and your own handmade butter!! mmm
Excellent lentil soup for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. It was easy to make and very satisfying. I brought to work for my lunch with a crusty piece of bread. I would not change the recipe at all……it was simple but delicious.–Nansmeister
So hearty and satisfying for a meatless recipe, and so yummy and good for you. Love the idea of the vinaigrette on top. I take it one further: Chop up some celery heart (the sweet-tasting, yellow-colored stalks at the core of your celery bunch, along with the leaves) and sprinkle on top of each bowl before adding the vinaigrette. It’s like a little salad on top, and it adds a little crunch.