Creamy Tomato Lentils with Crispy Garlic Toast
Ingredients
- 1 cupbrown or green lentils
- 3 cupsvegetable broth
- 1 can (14.5 oz)canned crushed tomatoes
- 1yellow onion
- 5 clovesgarlic
- 3 tablespoonsolive oil
- ¼ cupheavy cream
- ½ teaspoondried thyme
- ·salt
- ·black pepper
- 4 slicescrusty bread
Prep
- 01
Dice 1 yellow onion.
- 02
Mince 4 garlic cloves; leave 1 clove whole for toasting the bread.
Method
- 01
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 4 minutes until softened.
- 02
Add 3 minced garlic cloves to the pot and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 03
Pour in the lentils, vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, and dried thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender.
- 04
Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 2 more minutes until heated through.
- 05
While the lentils finish cooking, brush the bread slices lightly with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toast in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes per side until golden and crispy, then rub each slice with the remaining raw garlic clove.
- 06
Ladle the lentil soup into bowls and serve with the garlic toast on the side.
Spice Tips
For warmth, add a pinch of red pepper flakes when you add the garlic. A squeeze of lemon juice at the end brightens the acidity. If you like smoke, stir in 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika with the thyme.
This recipe works just as well with red lentils for a silkier texture; reduce the simmer time to 15 minutes. Make it vegan by swapping heavy cream for coconut milk or oat cream.