This summery soup can be served cold or hot. The lentils make the soup hearty while still light and refreshing.
Ingredients
- red bell pepper, halved lengthwise and: 1 piece (seeded)
- yellow bell pepper, halved lengthwise and: 1 piece (seeded)
- orange bell pepper, halved lengthwise and: 1 piece (seeded)
- olive oil: 1 Tbsp
- yellow onion: 1 piece (diced)
- carrots: 1 piece (chopped)
- garlic: 4 clove (minced)
- tarragon: 1 tsp (dried)
- ½ teaspoons dried thyme: 1 piece
- paprika: 1 tsp
- canned roma (plum) tomatoes: 4 piece (diced)
- water: 1 Tbsp
- ½ teaspoons hot sauce: 1 piece (to taste)
- vegetable broth: 4 cups
- lentils: 1 cup
- bay leaves: 2 piece
- salt: 0.75 tsp
- pinches freshly ground black pepper: 2 piece
- chili oil: 1 tsp (to taste)
- fresh parsley: 1 Tbsp (to taste, chopped)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heating element in your oven and preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
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Arrange red bell pepper halves, yellow bell pepper halves, and orange bell pepper halves onto prepared baking sheet with cut sides down.
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Roast peppers under the preheated broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, 5 to 8 minutes. Place the blackened peppers into a bowl and tightly seal with plastic wrap. Steam as they cool until the skin has loosened completely, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard skins. Cut peppers into small dice.
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Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion and carrot in hot oil until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, tarragon, thyme, and paprika; continue to cook and stir until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
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Stir roasted peppers, tomatoes, water, and hot sauce into the peppers mixture, place a cover on the pot, and cook until the tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes.
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Pour vegetable broth into the pot; add lentils, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil, cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until lentils are tender, about 45 minutes.
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Pour soup into a blender or food processor no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse several time to get the soup to be only slightly chunky. Repeat processing until all soup has been blended.
