VeganMoFo: Roasted Tomato and Red Lentil Soup with Pepita Gremolata
October 8, 2012
in Main Dishes · Soups and Stews · VeganMoFo · Vegetables
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SoupAnother one of my favorite vegan-friendly restaurants in Salt Lake City is Mazza Cafe.  It’s also another great place for vegans and non-vegans to sit down together for some seriously good eats.  I’ve never been disappointed.  One of my favorites on the menu is their roasted tomato and red lentil soup.  It’s rich and dark and warmly-spiced.  I have no idea how they make it, but here’s my take on it.  Mine is also rich, dark and warmly-spiced.  They serve theirs unadorned, but I thought it would be pretty with a little green on top, so I modified the classic gremolata with crunchy pepitas.

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Roasted Tomato and Red Lentil Soup with Pepita Gremolata

  • Author: Annie
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

Soup

  • 1 1/2–2 pounds Roma tomatoes, cut into two
  • 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled (leave the cloves whole)
  • splash of vegetable broth or water and Bragg Liquid Aminos
  • ground black pepper, to taste
  • garlic powder, to taste
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1 carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. white miso
  • 1 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. chile powder
  • 1/2 tsp. coriander
  • ground black pepper, to taste
  • ~ 4 cups water

Gremolata

  • big handful of parsley
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
  • zest of one lemon

Instructions

Make the soup

  1. Preheat the oven to 425-degrees F. In a deep-sided baking dish, toss the tomatoes, onions and garlic with the vegetable broth/water and Liquid Aminos. Sprinkle with black pepper and garlic powder. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes, onions and garlic are very soft and beginning to brown, 20-25 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
  2. When mixture has cooled for a bit, process in a blender until very smooth. Set aside.
  3. In a medium-sized saucepan, saute the carrots, onion, celery and garlic in a little bit of water. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until they begin to soften. Stir in the soy sauce, miso, tomato paste and spices. Add the lentils and 3 cups of the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are extremely tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. If beans are still firm, add liquid and continue to cook. Set aside to cool slightly.
  4. When lentils have cooled for a bit, process in a blender until very smooth. Now combine the tomato and lentil mixtures in a big soup pot. Add water to reach desired consistency. Gently warm soup, divide among bowls and top with gremolata.

Make the gremolata

  1. In a food prep or processor, combine the pepitas, garlic, parsley and lemon zest. Process until chunky.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 6
  • Calories: 191
  • Sugar: 7
  • Sodium: 300
  • Fat: 2
  • Saturated Fat: 0
  • Unsaturated Fat: 1
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 35
  • Protein: 12
  • Cholesterol: 0

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Roasted Tomatoes

 

Gremolata Ingredients

VeganMoFo

42 thoughts on “VeganMoFo: Roasted Tomato and Red Lentil Soup with Pepita Gremolata”

  2. GiGi

    Don’t know what the restaurant’s soup tastes like but I’m sure your rich soup gave them a run for their money. Great gremolata too.

    Reply ↓
  7. thecrueltyfreereview

    I love tomato soup and this looks absolutely gorgeous. I really like the gremolata on top; adds a nice bit of texture. And the lentils add a heartiness that most tomato soups lack. Now I can’t wait for the next cold front to move in so I can make this!

    Reply ↓
    1. An Unrefined Vegan

      That’s what interested me – the lentils! They mellow out the tomato and add a nice thickness. C’mon, cold front ;-)!

      Reply ↓
  8. Richgail Enriquez

    I have tomatoes and lentils and most of the ingredients handy. Awesome! Dinner solved. Making this tonight.

    Reply ↓
  9. Shira

    This looks and sounds rich, soothing and so tasty Annie! Would be perfect with a big warm hunk of bread 🙂 This is right up my alley when it comes to soup…YUM!

    Reply ↓
    1. An Unrefined Vegan

      Shira, your bread would be perfect w/ this! And I’m wondering if that recipe might be the answer to my high-altitude bread baking woes. At sea level, I’m fine, but since being in Utah, my bread has – well – sucked!

      Reply ↓
  16. Courtney

    Oh my goodness, this sounds fantastic! Do you think it would work with whole peeled canned tomatoes rather than fresh? I can’t wait to try it, but the romas around here leave a lot to be desired…although maybe the roasting would help?

    Courtney

    Reply ↓
    1. An Unrefined Vegan

      Courtney, I think that the canned would work, too. On the other hand – something good happens to not-so-good tomatoes when you roast them, so I’d try the fresh romas first.

      Reply ↓

  19. Pingback: Roasted Tomato and Lentil Soup with Pepita Gremolata | ASTIG Vegan

  20. Pingback: Roasted Tomato and Lentil Soup with Pepita Gremolata - ASTIG Vegan

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