Happy Turkey Day Everyone! Red Lentil Apricot Soup

I am typing this up on Wednesday, because you know how turkey makes you catatonic and who knows when I will have the energy to blog about everything I made for Thanksgiving and oh yeah I’m not serving turkey, I’m serving prime rib but holy moly I am tired. And besides I’ll have guests tomorrow too–I’ll be lucky if I get any pictures taken, let alone write up any posts about our dinner.

So lentil soup it is. And it is a very tasty, very easy, pantry-friendly soup.

This soup is deceptively hearty. It looks and even tastes a little like a butternut squash bisque, but then lo it is full of lentils, filling and warming you very quickly. The recipe called for dried apricots, which I happened to have, but I think golden raisins, a more common pantry staple (at least for me) would work just as well.

I am submitting this soup to The Well-Seasoned Cook‘s My Legume Love Affair, 17th Serving, hosted this month by when my soup came alive.

Red Lentil Apricot Soup
Adapted from SOUP For Every Body by Joanna Pruess

1 T olive oil
2 medium red onions, chopped
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1 heaping t ground coriander
1 t ground fennel seeds
3 medium carrots, scrubbed and diced
heaping 1/2-cup of dried apricots (golden raisins should sub ok)
1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed
7 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock is fine too)
salt and pepper to taste
1 T chopped fresh thyme leaves
apple cider vinegar, about 1 T (to taste)
apple cider, about 2-3 T (to taste)
drizzle of honey (maybe 1 T total), to taste
sour cream for garnish
chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the oil and when it is hot, add the onions. Sprinle some salt over them and saute for 10 minutes, until golden. Add the garlic, carrots and spices and saute another 2 minutes. Add the dried apricots =, stir, and reduce to heat to low. Cover and simmer (juices will release) for 5 minutes.

Add the lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 30-45 minutes, to desired tenderness of lentils (recipe calls for 45 but mine were plenty done at 30). Then add the thyme leaves and, using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Taste and add the cider vinegar, apple cider, and honey to wake the soup up if it seems dull. Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve with a dollop of sour cream and chopped parsley.