Red Lentil Sweet Potato Soup

In another weekly installment of "Soup and Sandwich Night", I bring you my latest soup creation... 

I bought this GIANT bag of red lentils at the store a couple months ago. Why, you ask? Because buying seven pounds of lentils was the same price as buying two pounds. Bargain shopper that I am, I couldn't resist. So now I have to find ways to work them into our menu, in order to use them up. I had some sweet potatoes on hand as well, and this is the result. 

The spice I chose to use is something I picked up at the Midtown Global Market, simply called Tandoori seasoning. It has an unnatural red color, and is normally rubbed on chicken to be baked. The other ingredients are cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, paprika, and fenugreek. It made for a tasty, but very red soup.

And, grilled cheese is always good with a red soup, right ? Except I decided to try smoked gouda instead of the standard American cheese. It wasn't as melty as I would have liked, but perfectly acceptable. This made a very large pot of soup, so I get some for lunch as well!

Red Lentil Sweet Potato Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 large onion, chopped 

3 cloves garlic, chopped 

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons Tandoori seasoning 

3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 

6 cups water 

1 1/2 cups red lentils 

1 teaspoon salt 

Yogurt for topping 

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil, and saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add tomato paste and Tandoori seasoning, and stir until dark red. Add sweet potatoes, water and lentils, and stir. Turn heat down to simmer, and place a lid on the Dutch oven. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes, until sweet potatoes and lentils are both tender. Using immersion blender, blend until smooth. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.