Spicy Lentil Vegetable Soup Recipe

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Cut the peppers in half from top to bottom; remove the stem seeds and ribs then place the peppers cut-side-down onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven until limp 30 to 40 minutes. Turn the peppers over halfway through cooking. Once ready place the peppers into a bowl and tightly seal with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to steam as they cool about 20 minutes. Once cool remove the skins and discard. Chop the peppers

Meanwhile bring the water and lentils to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low cover and simmer until the lentils are tender about 30 minutes. Drain rinse and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the carrot onion and broccoli; cook and stir until the onion has softened about 5 minutes. Pour in some of the vegetable broth cover and steam the vegetables until tender. Pour in the remaining vegetable broth and chopped peppers; season with the red pepper flakes ginger black pepper thyme and sage. Simmer until the flavors come together and the vegetables are very tender about 20 to 30 minutes. Add water if needed to maintain your desired consistency. Stir in the cooked lentils until hot.

If desired pour the soup into a blender filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.