Tomato-Lentil Soup With Goat Cheese

This is a keeper! So much flavor from relatively few ingredients. I made some substitutions just based on what I had — feta instead of goat cheese, paprika gochugaru instead of red pepper flakes, extra thyme and oregano because I didn’t have coriander. Added diced shallot in with the garlic. This recipe was the tipping point for me ordering Ali Slagle‘s cookbook. :)

This was really nice, and very quick and easy to make. I have one quibble with the suggested presentation: it seems silly to add the goat cheese and zest to the pot THEN ladle it into serving bowls. Doing so will not give you the nice presentation you see in the photo. Rather: ladle the soup into bowls, then add the goat cheese and zest. That small amount of cheese will not cause the soup to get cold, and the cheese will warm through enough by the time you bring the bowls to the table.

This was very easy to make and had great complex flavor. I cooked the butter and tomato too much in the first step, not sure if this is where the smoky complex flavor came from, tasters reported that it tasted like there was meat in it, or smoked paprika. Made it with roasted cauliflower and some garlic bread, was a cozy and delicious winter meal.

This really was easy and came together pretty quickly. I was in a rush so didn't take the time to do the last steps with the lemon zest and herbs. Instead I squeezed some fresh lemon into the pot and bought herbed goat cheese. It was perfect and filling with and without the goat cheese. (I didn't really see a difference with the color of the tomato paste but stirred it for the full 4 minutes to make sure the flavors had a chance to blend together).

So simple, inexpensive, and delicious with a depth of flavor. I did not have goat cheese on hand, so I spooned a dollop of cottage cheese directly into my bowl (vs the directive to put cheese pieces in the soup pot and recover), then put the lemon zest mix on top. So, so good.

Excellent - lovely to make something so delicious straight from store cupboard ingredients. I went a little heavier on the za'atar and added a good dollop of rose harissa in place of the red-pepper flakes, as that's what I had to hand.

Wow! Cheap, fast, and delicious! I bet it’d be great with chard thrown in as well.

As everyone has said, easy recipe, and that’s great some nights. Subbed feta cheese and sprinkled fresh basil ribbons. Used Italian herb profile. A loaf of crusty bread (homemade or not), a green salad, and we have a meal!

Quick and easy and so delicious ! I used feta because that’s what I had. A perfect meal with homemade sourdough bread.

I made this with Za’aatar and topped with feta. I followed the recommendations of others and added shallots with the onions - divine. Such complex flavors and textures. Will make again!

I'm vegan, so I will make it without the goat cheese. And I always eat tomato soup by itself; what's wrong with that?

Because it's supposed to be mushy.

Even if you skip the lemon zest and herb topping for the cheese, this is a first-rate recipe. I don’t even like lentils but I’ve eaten this for two weeks straight at lunch.

You're overthinking it—in the US coriander refers to the dried seeds (hence it being "ground" for the recipe) and cilantro refers to the leafy herb. The seeds tend to taste a little citrusy. The leaves more herby and green. The recipe calls for the seeds (coriander), but i bet some chopped leaves (cilantro) would be a tasty addition as a garnish.

If you don't like the lemon/spice mixture, don't use it. The rest of us like it.