Sun Dried Tomato and Lentil Soup

Most of the recipes I have posted on this site were found through browsing some websites and picking out what sounds tasty.  The recipe for Sun Dried Tomato and Lentil soup found me, however.

There was a wintry sunday afternoon just after a blizzard.  I found myself in Harrah's Atlantic City because they have a domed pool that is kept at 82 degrees.  Another thing that they have is the Waterfront Buffet.  I am a sucker for a buffet almost as much as I am a sucker for gambling.  While making the rounds at the buffet, I found a sun dried tomato and lentil soup.  It was A-MA-ZING.  Obviously, upon returning home, my first mission was to find a recipe and re-create the dish.

Strangely, there were not too many recipes that even sounded like they would come close.  I finally stumbled upon a food blog by Emily called "A Year on the French Diet."  Thank you Emily.  With only two small modifications needed, you really nailed it.

It will come as no surprise when I say that Emily's version of the recipe was too watery.  In addition, the version I was aiming for was more of a puree so I had to try and get to that point.  I used a stick blender to puree the soup into a thicker version.  The only other modification needed is to add more sun dried tomatoes.  I think the lentil taste was stronger than the tomatoes, and I would prefer it the other way around.  If you don't like the taste of sun dried tomatoes as much, adjust to your tastes.

Needless to say, this recipe is going to be heavily inserted into the rotation for as long as I can bear to eat soup.