Hearty Lentil & Chorizo Soup
With the icy cold temperatures and bitter windchill we have been experiencing it’s hard to have faith in Wiarton Willie’s groundhog day prediction of an early spring.
So far February has been brutally cold, with extreme weather alerts and windchill warnings being the norm. Oh, and now snow! Lots of snow!
It’s not all doom and gloom though, today we woke up to a beautiful sunny, and slightly warmer day. We decided to take full advantage and headed out for a little cross-country skiing .
Weather this cold and snowy definitely calls for homemade soup! But not just any soup will do, it needs to be something thick and hearty to really warm you up, inside, and out.
My lentil and chorizo soup is everything you need in a winter soup, the perfect antidote to this icy weather. With an almost stew-like consistency, this is a really nourishing soup that is hearty enough to have for dinner.
The chorizo sausage is what makes this soup, as it browns it releases its spicy goodness into the olive oil and helps season the soup. Paprika is added for an additional layer of spice, echoing the flavours from the chorizo. The sweet potato and carrot add a little pop of colour, and a nice contrasting texture to the lentils and sausage.
Serve with warm crusty bread for a warm satisfying meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cured or semi cured dry chorizo sausage thinly sliced
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- 1 onion peeled and diced
- 1 celery rib diced
- 1 sweet potato peeled and chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp paprika (sweet or hot)
- 2 cups dried brown lentils
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the chorizo sausage and the vegetables and garlic.
- Heat the olive oil In a Dutch over, or large stock pot over med-high heat. Add the sliced chorizo and cook until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the paprika, garlic, onion, carrot and celery to the pot and stir until all the vegetables are coated with the oil and tomato paste. Next add the lentils, give a good stir to coat with the tomato paste and oil.
- Add the water, stir, and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the pot to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes add in the sweet potato. At this stage taste the soups broth and adjust seasoning, adding more paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Continue to simmer the soup for another 10 minutes. Test the lentils, they should be soft, but not mushy. If the lentils are still too firm, allow the soup to simmer for another 5-10 minutes as required.
- Once the lentils are cooked, taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.