Sonyas French Lentil Soup

[imakebeads4]

 :)This recipe was great!!!! the dijon mustard really added a great depth of flavor.

[vegan4life 826]

Hey, this is probably a stupid question but I don't cook too much...

when you say "sorted" lentils you just mean a variety of colors, right?  Like brown, red, green, etc?

Let me know when you get a chance (or if anyone else knows on here).

Thanks!

[Daisy]

I think the "sorted and rinsed" means sort out any bad lentils and/or small stones, then rinse.

[honeybee2]

I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but used most of the same ingredients and went with the French *theme*. Loved it! Mine turned out kind of like a hearty veggie stew - and the dijon mustard was the kicker, added just the right amount of je ne sais quoi ) Yum.

[Jensbug]

Wonderful lentil recipe! I had to add 4 extra cups of broth to keep it a soup instead of a side dish (which is good too). I totally forgot to add the mustard at the end 'cause I was so eager to eat! I'll have to remember it for the left overs. 

[margiejoy83]

Holy Cow is this ever good!!! My fiance and I made it last night--it made the whole house smell just wonderful, and we suddenly began craving that thick slice of fresh country bread to go with it, so I ran back to Henry's and got a loaf.
This was our first experience opening a bottle of wine, and so there are now wine stains all over the kitchen ceiling, but it was worth it. We both had two helpings, without and with the Dijon--which was lovely. Next time I think I'll try adding wild mushrooms in with the onion, carrot and celery! Yum!
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Did it again over at my parent's--didn't have wine so I used sherry instead, used 1 cup canned tomatoes instead of paste, put in some frozen shiitakes with the onions and celery and couldn't find thyme by itself in the spice cupboard so I used herb de provence instead. Dad proclaimed it "killer!"

[VegAnna]

Oh my god!!! This is the first time I've cooked with wine. I am blown away. The aroma and balance of flavors was breath taking, and I'm not exaggerating! The only thing I changed is that I substituted 1/4 of the lentils with pearled barley. I tried it before and after the mustard and it's great either way. Just as the above reviewer mentioned, this soup suddenly made me crave thick country bread and I got myself a slice. All I can say is: Yumm!!! No modifications needed, perfect as is. I dare everyone to make this and try to eat only one bowl

[deuceO]

This recipe ROCKS!!!  Yes it makes a lot but that didn't matter because it all got eaten! 

[secondbase]

great recipe. i added carrots and for the herbs, i added oregano, thyme, marjoram and sage to amount to the 2 tbsp. it was pretty good the first night, but incredible the next day as leftovers. i served it with some baked potato chips

[TheKitchenEssentials]

This was excellent, as many others have said. I adapted mine a bit. I added a little more tomato paste, used tarragon instead of thyme, and used a carrot and a celery stalk. I also used the small french lentils, which are great to work with. Oh, and I used a garlic and horseradish mustard instead of dijon. I just bought some ancient red quinoa and I was thinking I could add some and it would make a pretty presentation. I didn't add the spinach because I didn't happen to have any on hand but I think I might pick some up and add it to the bucket of it I still have in the fridge.

Excellent, thank you!

Melissa

[YinzerMama]

Oh how I messed this up...  I am not veg. and I had chicken stock and white wine on hand, so I used that.  I threw in a 12 oz can of v8 to add more vegetably goodness.  I think if I had left it at that, it would have been fine - so if you are omni, or want to use mock chicken broth for a different version, go for it...

The problem is I was feeling a little too chef-y and, as I was adding extra water at the end, I thought I will add in one more cup of wine, too, to make it awesome!

Problem - I don't like wine.  I expected it to cook off and taste different and it didn't, really...  so it tastes kind of...  weird, to me.

BUT otoh, I have to say, I don't like lentils much, and I keep trying to find ways to prepare them that I like them, because I think they're so good for you.  My problem is they always seem to taste like dirt to me.

This soup didn't taste like dirt!  Other than the wine overkill, I like it.  I used 2 carrots and 2 stalks of celery and about 1/2 a bag of frozen spinach so lots of veggies.

I will make this again - but I think I will cut the recipe in half next time because it really did make a TON in the end.  I put most of it in the freezer in individual containers so I don't feel obliged to eat lentil soup every day over the next week. 

[midori]

I made this with lots of spinach for my French boyfriend, and he loved it, so there is one authenticity vote.

[slow_foodie]

I'd give this six stars if I could! It came out really well and as promised, made plenty of "planned overs." For some reason, the flavor of the broth reminded me of a brisket my grandma used to make, which might be the only thing from the world of meat I've ever really found myself craving. Thanks for this great recipe!

[fergalicious]

Oh my gosh!  This is the BEST soup I have ever tasted, and I mean it! 
I didn't have any tomato paste on hand, so I improvised by adding a squirt of ketchup along with a can of pureed tomatoes - more than the recipe called for, but it definitely worked!