Bulgur Soup with Lentils

Between the chilly, fall weather that has finally reached New York and running around to classes and working, I feel like I am constantly fighting off the first signs of a cold... you know, that hint of a sore throat and fatigue that you feel when you start to get a cold.  Now it may not help that I prefer to under-dress in this type of weather than over-dress.  Personally, I hate stepping into a hot subway station and needing to peel off layer after layer.  Instead, I have been feeding myself with a lot of warm tea and different types of soup!

I have started going through my new bulgur cookbook recently and I have been getting some recipe inspirations from there.  There are many bulgur soup ideas in that book but this one stuck out at me.  I like the combination of bulgur, lentil, and beef, it makes for a quick meal without needing to prepare much else.  I tend to use additional spices than the original recipe calls for and I added some more flavor to the soup with paprika and extra red pepper flakes.

1/2 cup brown lentils
1/2 cup of coarse bulgur
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large pot boil the lentil in 2 cups of water for about 15 minutes, until tender.

2.  In the mean time, in a frying pan cook onion in olive oil until soft, then add the beef and cook until it browns.

3.  Pour the onions and meat into the pot.  Add tomato paste, pepper flakes, paprika, salt and pepper, bulgur, and 6 cups of water.  Cook until the bulgur is soft, about 20-25 minutes, and serve.

Enjoy!

~Rona