I’m starting a tradition in the new year where I do more meal prep on Sunday. I’ll probably fall off the bandwagon in a few months but at least for now, I’m sticking to it.

I kicked off the tradition on Sunday night with lemon lentil soup. I found the recipe as I was browsing Pinterest and I immediately knew I had to make it. I had a cupboard full of red lentils and a fridge with a bunch of lemons that I bought right before the new year that I never used. The time, it seemed, was ripe.

This soup can be made on the stove top but it’s waaay easier to make in a slow cooker. If you’re like me and you’re not a fan of stirring, you might want to opt for the latter method. I essentially dumped all the ingredients in my slow cooker, stirred them, and then latched on the top and cooked the soup for a few hours on high. If you start the process earlier in the day, you can always do this process and set the slow cooker on low.

The standout ingredient in this soup is the lemon. Without it, the soup is a traditional lentil that still tastes good but isn’t particularly exceptional. With the lemon juice and lemon zest, this soup goes to the next level. You might be tempted to skip the step that calls for fresh grated lemon zest, but DO NOT skip it. You will be rewarded with savory, slightly sweet, citrusy lentil soup that tastes even better on day two.

I served my soup with a few slices of the Dark and Mild bread from Union Loafers, but you could also serve it with rice or grains. Or you could eat it with crackers if you want some extra crunch.

The soup keeps well in the fridge for a few days. I’d recommend filling up a few tupperware containers and freezing part of the batch for future weeknight dinners or even weekday lunches.

Here’s a link to the recipe from Gimme Some Oven. I didn’t deviate it from it too much except I cut down on the amount of garlic. I’m very sensitive to garlic so less is more for me. Feel free to use the original amount if you’re a garlic fan.

Here’s a song to get you started on your lemon lentil soup journey.