Thai Red Lentil Soup

a cozy, comforting favorite recipe

Before I jump into holiday baking recipes, I wanted to share a favorite soup from my old archives. It was inspired years ago by one made at a local bakery in Woodstock. I loved cozying up with a bowl, eating it with thick chunks of generously buttered sourdough bread for dipping. They no longer make their soups from scratch there, so it’s nice to be able to make it myself at home. 

My original recipe was vegan since I used to make this with vegetable broth. More recently, I’ve taken to using Fire & Kettle Turmeric Ginger Bone Broth to boost the protein a bit more. Feel free to use vegetable broth instead if you want a vegan version, just note that the nutritional information listed will be different. 

Lentils are the quickest cooking kind of bean, so no need to soak them beforehand—they go straight into the pot, and cook in about 25 minutes. The recipe calls for red lentils but green or brown ones are fine to use if that’s all you can find.

The finishings are key here. A squeeze of lime and generous amount of freshly chopped cilantro brighten up this thick and hearty soup. On one occasion I sauteed some peanuts in a little oil with razor-thin garlic, red pepper flakes and lime zest for a crunchy topping. Even toasted coconut flakes would be nice to try as a topping. This is a great soup to make if you’re hosting a casual holiday party. You can make the soup ahead of time, then warm it in a slow cooker. Set out all the toppings for guests to garnish bowls as they like. 

Hope everyone had a peaceful Thanksgiving. If you’re still swimming in leftover mashed potatoes, there’s a recipe to turn them into focaccia in my Thanksgiving eBook (click here). There’s also a recipe for stuffing waffles in that book, which is my favorite way to eat stuffing, served with a crispy fried egg on top.

If you’re ready to hop into holiday baking, check out my Christmas Cookie eBook here. It includes favorite recipes I’ve been baking for more than 20 years, including my beloved Italian Rainbow Cookies.  —xo, j.