September is a funny season, at least in my part of the world. Mornings and evenings are cold, tempting us to succumb to fall fashion and bring out the boots and sweaters. By lunchtime the days can be even warmer than at the height of summer and we might regret those choices.

This soup is perfect for this in-between season. It is warm and comforting, ready to brush away the wisps of cold breeze that gently remind us that summer is over even as we add another layer of sunscreen. It also respects that we are in the height of tomato season, so we don’t feel too out of sync with what is going on outside.

This soup is also easy. The hardest part is roasting the red peppers and you can opt out and use the jarred kind if you prefer. Even roasting peppers isn’t too hard though, as long as you don’t mind turning on your oven for a bit.

Makes: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 red peppers
• 1 tsp olive oil (for peppers)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 large (28 oz) can tomatoes (splurge on the fancy Italian ones here)
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees f
2. Cut red peppers (3) in half and remove seeds
3. Line cookie sheet with parchment
4. Brush peppers with 1 tsp olive oil and place cut-side down on prepared cookie sheet
5. Roast peppers for about half an hour, until the skins blister and blacken
6. Place roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with a plate or plastic wrap (you want this as air-tight as possible, the idea is to trap the steam which will help the skins slip right off)
7. Once peppers have cooled, remove and discard the skins
8. In a large pot, warm olive oil over medium heat (1 tbsp)
9. Add chopped onion and stir until translucent
10. Add garlic and quickly stir around
11. Add thyme (1 tsp), smoked paprika (1 tsp) and stir around for a few seconds
12. Add canned tomatoes (with juice), lentils (1 cup), water (2 cups) and bring to a boil
13. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are fully softened
14. Add 1/4 cup grated parmesan
15. Using a handheld blender, puree soup until smooth
16. Add salt and pepper to taste

Notes:

• Please don’t be alarmed by the long list of directions. This is soup, after all. As long as everything gets into the pot, you will be fine.
• If you don’t have a handheld blender you can transfer the soup to a regular blender or food processor and puree it that way, but please be careful whichever method you choose. Nobody likes a molten volcano of bright red soup going live in their kitchen.