Lentil Soup with Lemon Recipe

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until the onion has turned golden brown about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste cumin kosher salt black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant.

Stir in the chicken broth lentils and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to medium-low cover and simmer until the lentils are soft about 30 minutes.

Pour half of the soup into a blender filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup leave it a little chunky.

Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro then season to taste with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of chili powder to serve.