Ingredients:
– 1 tablespoon Olive oil
– 1 large Brown onion diced
– 2 medium Carrots diced
– 2 small Celery stalks diced
– 2 cloves Garlic crushed
– 1½ cups Red lentils dry
– ¼-½ cup Short grain white rice or medium grain
– 8 Cups Vegetable stock or 10 cups (you can adjust the thickness of this lentil soup)
– 1 medium Fresh lemon juiced
– 1 teaspoon Ground turmeric
– 1 ½ teaspoon Ground cumin
– 1 handful Fresh parsley chopped, divided into two portions
– 1 pinch Salt or to taste
– ½ teaspoon Cracked black pepper or to taste
– 1 Lemon wedge

Directions:
1.) In a large pot, heat olive oil (see notes for oil-free version) over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion, crushed cloves of garlic, and spices. Cook until the onions have softened. Add the red lentils and stir until they are coated in the olive oil. Pour in the vegetable stock and add the rice. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.

2.) Add the diced celery and carrot. Simmer for another 10 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat and stir in half of the chopped fresh parsley and the lemon juice.

3.) Blend the soup with an immersion blender until it is partially smooth but still has some chunky bits. Do a taste test and adjust with salt if needed. Garnish with additional parsley and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze into the soup to your liking.