Lentil Soup with Poached Egg

This week I have been on a veggie kick, and who doesn’t love some kind of veggie soup.  I went to the Farmer’s Market over the weekend and picked up packs of different beans etc.  I wanted to make a classic Lentil soup but with a twist, Instead of typical celery I added a red pepper.  I hope you enjoy.

Ingerdients:

16 oz Pack of Lentils

32 oz of Vegetable Broth

2 Cups of Water

1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

1 Medium Onion, diced

1 Teaspoon of Cumin

1/4 Teaspoon of Dried Thyme

salt & pepper (to taste)

2 Bay leaves

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon of Marjoram

1/4 teaspoon of Dried Rosemary

2 Tablespoons of Salt

3 Carrots, chopped

1 Poached egg per person that is having soup (optional)

Preparation:

Place a large pot on medium high heat. Add chopped Onions, Carrots and red peppers.  Cook for about 5 minutes or so.  Add seasonings with bay leaves. Stir everything around.  After about a minute add minced garlic and stir again.  Add Lentils (before I added the lentils I washed them off and drained them).  Slowly add in the broth and cover to let cook for about 10 minutes.  Check to see if you need to add a cup of water. lower the heat to just medium. Cook for another 20 minutes and see if the last cup needs to be added. Total it should take about 35 to 40 minutes to get a nice soft lentil.  After its done place into the blender and blend to the smoothness you want. Remember: be careful because this is hot soup and when blending it can expand.  Place in serving bowls and enjoy with poached egg topped with parsley and cayenne.