Summer Roasted Vegetable Soup with Red Lentils

Lentils

• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup red lentils
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a dutch oven cook the red lentils per package instructions. When lentils are done just leave them in the dutch oven awaiting the roasted veggies.

Roasted Vegetables

• 3 to 4 large red peppers *
• 2 heads of garlic – tops cut off, placed in foil drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper, closed foil package
• 3 huge or 6 large heirloom tomatoes – cut into chunky pieces
• 3 to 4 medium zucchini – cut into chunky pieces
• 2 large red onions – cut into chunky pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil + extras for the garlic
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Place all the cut veggies on a baking sheet, drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place veggies and garlic package in the heated oven and roast for 45 minutes.
2. Place roasted veggies on cooling rack for about 10 to 15 minutes so that you can handle them. Smush** the roasted garlic cloves from the the head & puree with the veggies in a food processor and add to the cooked lentils in the dutch oven.

Soup

• 1 quart vegetable broth (low sodium)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 bay leaf

1. Combine the soup ingredients to the dutch oven, simmer on low for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve.
2. *Stove top pepper roasting: char the peppers on the open gas flame, put in a ziplock bag to steam. When roasted veggies are done, remove from bag, take paper towel and wipe off the char and remove the inside seeds. If you don’t want to do that or have only an electric stove you can roast them with the rest of the vegetables.
3. **SMUSH is a technical term meaning to squeeze the whole garlic head to release the roasted garlic cloves