Mexican Lentil Soup Sonoran style

Growing up, I remember eating lentil soup either at home in Hermosillo, or at my grandmas’ house. It was a pretty simple soup, but super tasty and heartwarming. We’d always have it at noon, and it didn’t matter if it was a hot summer day. A warm freshly made corn tortilla with a spread of butter wrapped like a burrito in one hand, and a spoon full of soup in the other. Sometimes with some queso fresco, and once you were old enough, you’d add chiltepín peppers to yours.

When I moved to Chicago, I started craving the tastes of my hometown. I called my mom one day and I asked her for her lentil soup recipe. My mom never tells you amounts. She only says “add some of this, some of that, a little bit of that”, and so on. So, every time I’d make this soup, I’d also just add some of this, some of that, and I didn’t have the amounts written down to be able to share them.

What I like the most about this soup is that is full of protein and iron, and it’s versatile. You can add bacon as the first ingredients to fry, or ham after your add the broth if you’d like to add even more protein and a taste twist. But hey! I have finally come up with the amounts for you to try my soup!

Ingredients:

1 1/2c dry lentils
1/4 yellow or white medium onion
2 garlic cloves
1 or 2 tomatoes (about 1/2c)
1 serrano or jalapeño pepper
2tbsp cooking oil
4c chicken broth (or 4c of water and bouillon of your preference, it could be beef or vegetable)
Salt and pepper to taste
*About 2c of boiling water to soak the lentils

The first step is to add boiling water to the lentils. Let them soak while you’re preparing the rest of the ingredients. Finely dice the onion and the garlic. I like to use a garlic press. Finely chop the tomato. Seed the pepper and chop it. Leave the seeds if you’d like a spicy soup; skip the pepper if you don’t like spicy soups.

Once you have all the ingredients ready, grab a pot for your soup, and set it on high heat. Add the cooking oil to your pot; I used olive oil. Then, add the garlic and onion, and cook on medium heat until fragrant. Then add the tomato, and wait for it to look juicy. Add the serrano or jalapeño pepper.

Drain the lentils, and add them to your pot. If you’re using powdered bouillon, now it’s the time to add it. Cook for two minutes stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth (or water if you’re using powdered bouillon), stir, and bring to a boil. Cover your pot and let it simmer for 15min. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve your soup, and add some queso fresco, chiltepín peppers or chili flakes. Don’t forget your warm corn tortilla burrito!

¡Buen provecho!

♡ Michelle | con limón, please.

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I’ve connected with some amazing Bloggers to share some blogs featuring heartwarming food recipes! Soups, broths, casseroles & more! Head to each of their blogs to check out what they are sharing.

Cheyenne

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