Creamy Tomato Lentil Soup @MaddieDayAuthor

MADDIE DAY here, with a yummy recipe for the new year - and for a new baby's parents!

My younger son and his wife, Alex, had a due date of January 2nd for the birth of their first baby. That has come and gone, but I wanted to stockpile a few easy-to-reheat vegetarian meals for them after they are home with their little boy. They live less than an hour's drive from us, so food delivery is easy.

When I saw a recipe in the New York Times Cooking section (I'm a subscriber to that and the puzzles) that used red lentils, I knew I had a winner, with a jar of red lentils in my pantry and all other ingredients at hand.

This turned out to be such an easy dish to make, and it will freeze easily to keep for whenever they're ready for it.

(Aren't they cute? I got them matching flannel shirts for Christmas.)

Whether you or yours have a new baby coming along or not, I guarantee you'll love this warming comfort soup this winter.

Creamy Tomato Lentil Soup

Adapted from a slow cooker recipe by Sarah DiGregorio in NYT Cooking

Ingredients

5 cups water

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 cups red lentils

4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

2 cups grape tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons basil pesto

¾ cup heavy cream 

Directions

In a Dutch oven or large pot, combine water, the can of tomatoes with juices, lentils, garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, salt, sugar, oregano and several generous grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir and reduce to a simmer for one hour.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, pesto, and lemon juice. Simmer for another half hour or more, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary. 

Fifteen minutes before serving, add cream and stir. Do not let it come to a boil.

Serve with rice or cornbread and a green salad.

Note: When tomatoes and basil are ripe in season, absolutely substitute in fresh versions instead of pre-prepared.

Readers: What's your favorite warm winter meal?

News Flash - the baby boy was born in the wee hours last Sunday! Silvio Ilán Llegus-Maxwell was just under eight pounds, and after an under eight-hour labor, he and his mama are doing well, as is my son. They're now home and figuring out life with a newborn. I'll be dropping off their frozen lentil soup, plus cornbread and a cheese-broccoli quiche, this weekend. I'm over the moon to meet the newest addition to our family!

🍅🌿🍜

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 Deadly Crush, 

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Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.