Reconstructing Leftovers ~ Red Lentil Soup Out of Red Lentils and Rice~

Do you ever find yourself pitching those leftovers and thinking 'what a waste?' I can't tell you the number of times a dish would get away from me and I would realize it had passed the time to reheat, or make something new out of it.


My daughters and I were talking one day about social studies and the global problem of starvation. We discussed how much food is wasted in this country and how we could try harder to be better at eliminating waste. This of course led to our review of "green living" and what we can all do to make a difference.


Tonight I decided since the girls really loved my Red Lentils and Rice a few nights ago, and we had plenty of the lentils left over, I would make soup. This was a very quick way to feed the girls before softball practice and repurpose those delicious lentils.


Here's what you do ~


Follow the recipe for my Red Lentils and Rice recipe. You don't need the rice for this dish though.

Next, you will need:                           

1 c. vegetable stock

½ c. dry white wine

2 T. lemon juice

1 t. Worchestershire sauce

1 t. sea salt

½ t. cracked pepper

1/2 t. cumin

dash of smoked paprika

dash of bottled hot sauce

1 T. fresh  chopped thyme

2 T. fresh chopped mint

3 T. cream

toasted slivered almonds to garnish


drizzle of olive oil

Take the leftover cooked lentils and put in a blender. Add 1 c. vegetable broth, 1/2 c. white wine, 2 T. of lemon juice. Blend on high about two minutes until mixture is very creamy. Transfer to a medium sauce pan. Add salt, pepper, paprika, hot sauce, thyme, cumin, and cream.  Heat to combine flavors. Check the seasonings and adjust as needed. Serve with toasted almond slivers, a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, fresh chopped mint leaves and a drizzle of olive oil. {Note: if soup is too thick, just add a little water during heating or additional stock.)