Simple Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 3 large carrots
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 3 celery ribs
• 6 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 pound split red lentils
• 1 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Greek yogurt or sour cream (or cashew cream for vegan), for serving
• Cilantro, for serving

Instructions

1. Peel the carrots. Finely dice the carrot, onion, and celery. Mince the garlic.
2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery, and sauté until the carrots are tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the broth, water, red lentils, smoked paprika, lemon zest, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
4. Bring to a low simmer, then cover halfway and gently simmer until the lentils are just soft but before they start to break apart, about 7 to 10 minutes. Watch closely and taste to assess doneness. The finished soup should be brothy with the lentils just soft; cooking past this point yields a very thick stew which is just as delicious but less soup-like. (If you’d like, you can add handfuls of greens in the last few minutes, like chopped spinach or kale). 
5. Taste and add additional salt to taste, and a few grinds black pepper. Leftovers can become very thick, so you can add a little water or broth when reheating.