Go beyond your standard tomato soup with this hearty, Indian spiced Curried Tomato Lentil Soup.

I’m getting ready to move next week and I’m both excited and a little bit stressed about this entire process. I’m extremely looking forward to our new apartment, it’s spacious, nicely remodeled, has an extra bedroom and a few bonus touches beyond your standard Brooklyn apartments. However the process of moving itself? This is one of the times that I really wish magic was real and I could flick my wand and make everything magically pack up, levitate over to the place and find its rightful place.

I am living in a sea of boxes right and I do not live in a large apartment. It’s absolutely chaos and on top of that I’m still trying to work at home while packing. It’s difficult to want to pack up items that you think you might need in the next week, the last thing anyone wants to do is leave a ton of stuff to pack the day before you move. At least I don’t, that’s not how I roll. So while everything about me is a bit chaotic, I’m trying to keep somethings normalized and simple.

For the first time ever in my adult life I meal planned and I loved it. I don’t know why I didn’t start sooner. We want to use up as many perishable items as possible, while incorporating food I have scheduled to make on my editorial schedule, as well as half full pantry items. If I don’t have to pack and move it, I won’t.

So while this move has managed to get me into the kitchen cooking dinner every night (and sometimes breakfast and lunch too), I’m still not looking to whip up a three course meal here. I want a meal that’s easy, comforting, doesn’t need much attention and bonus it provides leftovers for lunch the next.

I also think I’m not the only person who’s looking for a meal with those requirements! Which is why I love soup for dinner. If you’ve been around long enough, you know that I love tomato soup. It’s been topped with cheese, meatballed and baconed and I’m sure there will be more ways to prepare it in the future.

Today it gets lentils and a healthy dose of curry for a Indian twist on things. What I love about lentils is that they don’t take forever to cook but add a good deal of heft to any meal. This soup is filling and gives a nice meatless break in the middle of the week. Half the lentils are pureed with the soup base for a nice thick, rustic soup. While the remainder are left for chew and texture. Pair this with a grilled cheese sandwich and dinner is ready to go.