Before telling you about this Rich and Garlicky Red Lentil Soup w/ Homemade Smoked Paprika Oil we gotta go to that good ol’ disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
True story: This is the third time that I’ve made this soup with the intent to blog about it. The other two times the soup was eaten too quickly for me to take pictures. It’s that good.
Speaking of good things, I just had a full weekend of making tooooons of good things. My husband went on a business trip, and because I’m ridiculous I had my mother come stay with me. We had a good time, though. We spent the whole weekend cooking specifically to stock up on staples and treats. Check out this list of the amazing food we made:
From Vegan Food Gifts:
- Instant Coconut Mocha Mix
- Homemade Coconut Bailey’s
- Peanut and Raisin Chocolate Candies
- Red Beans and Rice Mix
- Hearty Pasta Soup Mix
- TVP Taco Meat Mix
- Butter
- Chocolate Almond Spread (adapted from the Notella)
- Unribs
- Rejuvilac (for homemade parmesan)
From Misc. Sources
- Vegan Bacon (From Free from Harm)
- Happy Bee Honey (From But I Could Never Go Vegan)
- Rosemary Bread (From Veganomicon)
- Italian Sausages (From Vegan Brunch)
- Smoked Sunflower Cheese (Coming soon!)
We worked so hard, and now our pantries and fridges are stocked to the brim. And the best part is that there were no duds – everything came out great. Pretty impressive considering the amount we made.
While it takes a lot of time, effort, and planning, I really love making all of these things from scratch. It’s cheaper in the long run, and there’s something so crazy satisfying about making a meal or snack out of completely homemade ingredients. I just snacked on some rosemary bread with chocolate almond spread, and it was deeeelicious.
While it takes a lot of time, effort, and planning, I really love making all of these things from scratch. It’s cheaper in the long run, and there’s something so crazy satisfying about making a meal or snack out of completely homemade ingredients. I just snacked on some rosemary bread with chocolate almond spread, and it was deeeelicious.
This Garlicky Red Lentil Soup sort of subscribes to that same philosophy. If you make the french fried onions from scratch you could have a real thing going on here.
This is the kind of soup you want when you’re craving something deep and savory without a lot of heavy ingredients. The depth of flavor from the roasted garlic and smoked paprika oil is unbelievable. I’m learning that homemade infused oils can take anything to the next level, and they’re so simple to make. It’s an extra step, but it isn’t hard, doesn’t take long, and makes a huge difference.
I had been dreading this past weekend for months because I hate hate hate when my husband goes on business trips. I have friends who are the opposite, you know? They’re so excited to have the house to themselves, the bed to themselves, etc.. I’m just not that cool of a girl. However, despite those moments where I whined like a baby, I had a good time cooking like crazy with my mom.
How was your weekend? Did you do a lot of cooking? Crafting? Cleaning? Lounging?
How was your weekend? Did you do a lot of cooking? Crafting? Cleaning? Lounging?
Mentioned In This Post and Recipe:
Rich and Garlicky Red Lentil Soup w/ Homemade Paprika Oil
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup neutral tasting vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 8 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 large onion, medium diced
- 1 1/4 cups red lentils
- 1 teaspoon dried chopped rosemary
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- french fried onions
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Cut the top off of your garlic head so that every clove is exposed. Drizzle the exposed cloves with the olive oil, and wrap the garlic head tightly in aluminum foil. Place the foil wrapped garlic in the preheated oven, and let it roast for 30 minutes. Remove the garlic from the oven, and carefully unwrap it. The garlic cloves should be soft and lightly browned. Set it aside to cool completely. Once the garlic is cool, squeeze the roasted cloves out of the garlic head. Set the cloves aside for later.
2. While the garlic roasts make the paprika oil. Add the vegetable oil and smoked paprika to a small pot over medium heat. Once the mixture starts to simmer and becomes fragrant lower the heat to medium-low and allow it to infuse for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain the oil into a glass jar using a coffee filter. Once it’s drained it is now ready to use. Stored in an airtight jar in the pantry it should last about a week.
3. When the garlic is done roasting start making your soup. Add the chopped garlic, onion, red lentils, rosemary, and vegetable broth to a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil then partially cover the pot, and lower the heat to reach a gentle simmer. Allow the soup to simmer until the red lentils are completely soft and broken up (about 25-30 minutes).
4. When the lentils are cooked, remove the soup from the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth. Salt it to taste.
5. Serve your Rich and Garlicky Red Lentil Soup warm with a drizzle of the Homemade Smoked Paprika Oil and a big spoonful of french fried onions.
Note: The Homemade Smoked Paprika Oil is also excellent for my Super Creamy Potato and Kohlrabi Soup.
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Cut the top off of your garlic head so that every clove is exposed. Drizzle the exposed cloves with the olive oil, and wrap the garlic head tightly in aluminum foil. Place the foil wrapped garlic in the preheated oven, and let it roast for 30 minutes. Remove the garlic from the oven, and carefully unwrap it. The garlic cloves should be soft and lightly browned. Set it aside to cool completely. Once the garlic is cool, squeeze the roasted cloves out of the garlic head. Set the cloves aside for later.
3. When the garlic is done roasting start making your soup. Add the chopped garlic, onion, red lentils, rosemary, and vegetable broth to a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil then partially cover the pot, and lower the heat to reach a gentle simmer. Allow the soup to simmer until the red lentils are completely soft and broken up (about 25-30 minutes).
4. When the lentils are cooked, remove the soup from the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth. Salt it to taste.
5. Serve your Rich and Garlicky Red Lentil Soup warm with a drizzle of the Homemade Smoked Paprika Oil and a big spoonful of french fried onions.
Note: The Homemade Smoked Paprika Oil is also excellent for my Super Creamy Potato and Kohlrabi Soup.
Oh and in case you were wondering:
(Yeah, like I’m not counting down. Come on now.)
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