Wednesday, October 19, 2011

soup's on

One of the things I most enjoy this time of year is the opportunity for soup to take center stage at mealtimes. Oh, soup, usually relegated to a small role, pre-meal. It comes into its own on crisp fall days. This hearty soup makes the meal, served up with some warm bread and a fresh salad.




Barley Lentil Soup

1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tsp. cumin
10 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 cups barley
2 cups fresh diced tomatoes with juice (or one 15 oz. can diced tomatoes)
2/3 cups lentils (yellow or green)
1/2 bunch chopped Swiss chard


Saute onions and carrots in olive oil until onions are golden. Add garlic and stir until fragrant. Sprinkle in cumin. Add broth and barley; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes. Add tomatoes and lentils, cover and simmer until barley and lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Add chard to soup, simmering 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Depending how much broth has been absorbed, you may want to add a bit more. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

A little bit of warmth for these cool, autumn evenings!

6 comments:

Trisha Peters said...

My mouth is literally watering looking at your yummy soup! Keep the great posts coming! I LOVE reading your blog!

Lindsay said...

Mmmmm thanks for the recipe, I'll be making it tomorrow!

Stephanie said...

Looks great! I don't usually add cumin to lentils (unless they are headed into dal) but I should try it. I've been on a herbed lentil soup kick recently!

Debbie @ Easy Natural Food said...

I love barley in soups! My Mum used to add it all the time when I was a kid. I'm hosting a weekly blog carnival specifically for soups, stocks and chowders, every Sunday. I would love it if you would come over and post this recipe. Here's a link with more info.

http://easynaturalfood.com/2011/10/17/introducing-sunday-night-soup-night/

I hope to see you there!
Debbie

Missy said...

Sounds delicious - love barley in soup but have never paired it with cumin. Will have to try!

Debbie @ Easy Natural Food said...

Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with Sunday Night Soup Night. I'll be hosting weekly through fall and winter, so I'd love to see you again with your next soup/stock/chowder recipe!