Red Lentil Vegetable Soup

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 vegetable bouillon cubes, enough to make 4 c stock
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
• 2 rutabagas, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup red lentil
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 head green cabbage, chopped
• salt, to taste

Recipe

• 1 combine vegetable boullion, herbs and spices, and about 6 cups water in a large pot and bring to a boil.
• 2 add rutabagas, onion, garlic, carrots, and dried mushrooms. simmer for about 10 minutes.
• 3 add lentils and red pepper. simmer for 15 more minutes. add more water, if needed, to cover vegetables.
• 4 add cabbage and simmer 10 more minutes, or until cabbage is done. to prevent a cooked cabbage flavor, do not cover the soup.
• 5 remove dried mushrooms. discard woody stems and dice caps. return diced caps to pot.
• 6 taste for seasoning and add additional salt if needed. my boullion is salty enough that usually no additional salt is needed.
• 7 note: red lentils cook quickly and i prefer them cooked to a "falling-apart" doneness. if you like firmer lentils, add in the last 15 minutes of cooking, or cook lentils separately and add to the finished soup.