Step 1

Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft, about 2 minutes then add the spices and continue to sauté about 4 minutes. Add the carrots and sauté until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and lentils and stir to combine. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

Step 3

You can eat the soup as is with the chunks of carrots, lentils and tomatoes or you can use a handheld immersion blender or regular blender to create a creamy soup. Sometimes I blend half and keep half chunky.

Step 4

Serve the soup with fresh cilantro, crushed red pepper and fresh lemon juice.