Lentil Soup with Chorizo & Rice

I've been on the hunt for a recipe for lentil soup that is not tomato based. I grew up eating lentil soup that contained rice and meat but all of the recipes that I've seen contained tomatoes....until now. I am even more excited that it is a Chilean recipe since I am a Chilena!



Lentil Soup with Chorizo & Rice

Ingredients

• 8 ounces lentils
• 1 cup white rice, cooked
• 1 medium white onion
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 chorizo sausage, chopped
• olive oil
• cumin
• paprika
• salt & pepper
• 4 slices bacon
• chicken stock (optional)

Directions

1. Boil lentils in 4 cups of water (or chicken stock), add bacon, salt & pepper to taste.
2. and cook until tender. About 20 minutes depending on the age of lentils.
3. Once the lentils are tender toss the bacon and put lentils aside. Do not drain.
4. In a separate pot heat the olive oil and brown the onions until they are clear.
5. Add chopped chorizo and cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Add cumin & paprika and mix in well.
7. Add cooked rice and mix in well.
8. Mix in the lentils & rice mix and cook for another 10 minutes stirring often.
9. Serve in bowl with the garnish of choice.

My verdict: Yes! I have finally found a recipe for lentil soup that I love, love, love!! The only thing I did differently was that I used kielbasa instead of chorizo but that is only because I sent Alberto to the store and that is what he came home with. It tasted fine with the kielbasa and I also think that pork or beef stew meat would work nicely as well. I added a bay leaf when I sauteed the onions and garlic and I ended up adding more water because it was too thick.

In the original recipe, the person who had posted the recipe wrote that in Chile a crumbled egg is sometimes sprinkled on top. On a whim, I decided to boil a couple of eggs and grated it to sprinkle on top. Everyone loved this soup and I will definitely be making it again!