Note: this recipe makes a very large pot of soup – if you are not feeding a large crowd you can half the recipe or freeze a few portions of the soup. Its great to have individual portions of soup you can pull out of your freezer and take to work, or to have a batch of soup you can just warm up for dinner after a long day!

Serves: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 medium onions

2 medium parsnips or turnips (or one of each)

1 medium potato

3 stalks celery

2 medium carrots

3 cloves garlic

1 one-inch piece ginger, peeled

2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained

8 cups vegetable stock or water

1 cup canned diced tomatoes in juice, or fresh tomatoes peeled and chopped

1 tablespoons cumin (or more to taste)

1 tablespoons coriander (or more to taste)

2 cinnamon sticks or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 lemon

1 bunch flat leaf/Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Cut onions, parsnip and/or turnip, carrots celery and potato into small pieces, about ¼ – ½ inch. Mince garlic.

2) Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add vegetables sauté until they begin to soften and lightly caramelize.

3) While vegetables are cooking zest the lemon with a zester or fine greater. Set zest aside in a small bowl. In a separate bowl squeeze the juice of the lemon and set aside.

4) Add ginger root, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and lemon zest to the pot. Stir until evenly combined. You should be able to smell the spices cooking in the oil.

5) Add tomatoes, vegetable stock or water, and lentils; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium–low, cover, and simmer. (if not enough liquid add additional water). Cook until tomatoes and lentils have broken down and soup has come to a smooth consistency.

6) Season with salt, black pepper additional spices, and lemon juice to taste.

7) Garnish with chopped parsley

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