Now, for 2 people in self-isolation, this is a lot of soup to go through. If you’re looking for lunch and dinner few days then this is perfect. Otherwise you might want to half the recipe.
Ingredients
- Approximately 600 grams of mushrooms, washed and halved or quartered
- Two small onions, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
- One 28 oz can of (low sodium) tomatoes, including the water. You can use crushed, chopped, or whole. I used whole and smashed them before cooking.
- One cup of brown lentils
- Two cups of vegetable broth or water (add an extra 1/2 cup of liquid if you’re cooking on the stove, not in a pressure cooker)
- Two tablespoons of tomato paste
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- Three or four cloves of garlic, minced
- Two teaspoons of whole fennel seeds
- Two teaspoons of Italian seasoning, or in my case a pinch each of whatever you have in the cupboard (basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and thyme)
- One teaspoon of red chili flakes, or more, or less!
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Prepare your vegetables; cut the onions, tomatoes, wash the mushrooms.
Stir tomato paste into your water or broth to combine.
Instant Pot
Set pot to sauté, warm the cooking oil. Add the chopped onion right away, tossing to coat and cooking for 2 minutes until they turn translucent.
Drop the garlic and spices in next, including fennel seeds and chili flakes to toast. Stir to avoid burning.
Add your mushroom and toss them around in the spices, then immediately add the rest of the ingredients (lentils, tomatoes, broth).
Close the post and set to high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for perfectly cooked lentils, or get hungry like we did and wait 10 minutes then dig in.
Season with salt and pepper.
or, Stovetop
Set a medium or large, thick-bottomed pot to medium heat and warm the cooking oil. Add the chopped onion, tossing to coat and cooking for 2 minutes until they turn translucent.
Drop the garlic and spices in next, including fennel seeds and chili flakes to toast. Stir to avoid burning.
Add your mushroom and toss them around in the spices, then immediately add the rest of the ingredients (lentils, tomatoes, broth).
Put a lid on your pot and bring it to a boil. Decrease heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.
Stir every 5 minutes or so to keep an eye on it, and make sure it’s not burning.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serving
We had this soup with a sourdough focaccia (mild success). I was impatient there too and didn’t let it rise to it’s full potential.
Rice is also an excellent side.
Measuring Up 