Everything Soup

A typical Sunday morning watching Food Network and looking for our soup of the week recipe.  We see Trisha Yearwood whipping up a soup on the stove and right before it is done she throws in a cup of Marinara and a cup of Salsa.  Looks interesting?  Hubby prints off the recipe and we discover it is a lentil based soup that is spiced up at the end.  I was a little skeptical, but it really was good. 

We made the croutons which was very easy and they are delicious.  Topping the soup with the croutons, sour cream and good olive oil is to me the best part.  

Garlic Croutons:

6 slices day-old Italian bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup olive oil 

4 tablespoons butter 

4 cloves garlic, crushed

Soup:

1 1/4 cups red lentils, rinsed

4 carrots, chopped (about 2 cups) 

2 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup) 

1/2 onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 

4 cups vegetable stock (one 32-ounce carton) 

3 sprigs fresh thyme 

1 dried bay leaf 

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper 

1 cup jarred marinara sauce 

1 cup mild salsa 

1 cup frozen peas 

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus more leaves for garnish 

1/4 cup sour cream 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

For the garlic croutons: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Add the bread cubes to the lined baking sheet and reserve. Add the olive oil, butter and garlic to a small saucepot and cook over medium-low heat until the butter is melted, stirring to combine. Remove the garlic cloves, then drizzle the butter mixture over the bread, tossing to get everything coated. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

For the soup: Put the lentils, carrots, celery and onion into a stockpot or Dutch oven. Pour in the vegetable stock. Add the thyme, bay leaf and 1 teaspoon black pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a rapid simmer, then cover partially and cook on medium low until the lentils are tender, 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems. Add the marinara sauce and salsa and stir to combine. Add the peas and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for an additional couple of minutes to warm the peas through.

Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Top each bowl with a spoonful of sour cream, a sprinkle of whole parsley leaves, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a couple of croutons. Store and refrigerate in airtight containers or freeze.