Vegetarian and vegan, dairy free, sugar free, Lentil Soup with Smoked Mushrooms. Incredibly nourishing and wholesome! Not to mention ridiculously delicious!!!
Preheat smoker to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. We like using fruit woods like cherry or apple for vegetables.
Season: In a large bowl toss the mushrooms with the olive oil, salt, and pepper until well coated. Lay out evenly on a baking sheet or lined tray.
Smoke: Place the tray on the smoker, cover, and smoke for approximately 45 minutes. Taste one to see if you like the smoke infusion. Remove from smoker. When cool enough to work with, slice the mushrooms.
For the Soup:
Sauté: In a med-large saucepan over medium heat add one tablespoon of olive oil and the onions. Cook 5 minutes, until starting to get soft. Add the carrots and celery. Stir together and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
Simmer: Add the vegetable stock, lentils, thyme, bay leaf and the sliced smoked mushrooms. Stir together and simmer 20-30 minutes, until lentils have softened.
Notes
We recommend green lentils for this recipe. If you use red lentils, be sure to watch the time on the simmer. Red lentils can soften much faster than others and overcook quickly.