Easy 30-Minute Red Lentil Soup with Curry Yogurt

Ingredients

• For the soup:
• 1 small carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
• 6 scallions, white parts only, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, split in half
• 1-inch knob ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeño or Serrano chili, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1 pound red or yellow lentils
• 1 1/2 quarts homemade or store-bought low sodium vegetable stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For the curry yogurt:
• 1 cup non-fat Greek-style yogurt
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon Japanese or Madras curry powder

Directions

1. Add the carrots, celery, scallions, garlic, ginger, and chili to a food processor. Pulse until the vegetables are minced very small, about 15 quick pulses, stopping to scrape the bowl when needed.
2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Stir in the chopped vegetables and cook, mixing often, until they smell fragrant and have softened without taking on color, about 4 minutes. Add the lentils, chicken stock, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring now and then, until the lentils are completely tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. As the lentils simmer, put the yogurt, cilantro, and curry powder in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste, then spoon it into a small serving bowl.
4. Once the lentils are tender, take out the bay leaves and discard them. Purée the soup in a blender in 2 batches, streaming in the remaining extra virgin olive oil while the blender is running. Pour the soup back into a pot, whisk in the lemon juice, thin it to the consistency you like with water or stock, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve right away with the curry yogurt and extra-virgin olive oil alongside.