Red lentils cook quickly, don’t need to be presoaked, and are delicious. What’s not to like about that?

Sun Oven Red Lentil Soup with Feta

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 bay leaf

2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed

8 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

In a large pot, combine the oil, onion, garlic, carrots, red pepper and rosemary.

Cover and cook in the Sun Oven until the vegetables begin to soften, about 20 minutes.

Add the bay leaf, lentils, and water. Stir, replace the lid, and continue cooking until the lentils are completely cooked, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Remove from Sun Oven. Discard bay leaf.

Stir in the lemon zest and juice.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls and top with feta.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

I wish more restaurants would serve Manhattan style clam chowder. It’s much lighter than the creamy n

New England version. Luckily it’s easy to make in the Sun Oven.

Sun Oven Manhattan Clam Chowder

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium russet potato, peeled and chopped

2 (6 1/2-ounce) cans chopped clams with their juice

2 bay leaves

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

4 slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

In a large pot, combine the oil, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic.

Cover and cook in the Sun Oven until the vegetables are softened, about 20 minutes.

Add the potato, clams with their juice, bay leaves, diced tomatoes, clam juice, oregano, and thyme.

Cover and continue cooking in the Sun Oven until potatoes are tender and flavors have blended, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Discard bay leaves. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with bacon.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Serve this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich for the ultimate feel good lunch or light dinner.

Sun Oven Tomato Soup

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 cup arborio rice

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper.

Add the tomatoes with their juice and use a potato masher to break them up into pieces. Stir in the broth and rice.

Cover and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the rice is very soft and the flavors have blended, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Remove pot from Sun Oven. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup in the pot until smooth. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle basil on each serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Adding kale towards the end of cooking boosts both the flavor and nutrients of this solar simmered stew.

Sun Oven Curried Lentil Stew

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 leek, white and pale green parts only, cleaned and chopped

4 cups water

1 pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

1 cup brown lentils, picked over, rinsed, and drained

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups coarsely chopped kale, lightly packed

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and leek and saute, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the water, squash, lentils, curry powder, and cumin.

Cover and transfer to Sun Oven

Cook until squash and lentils are soft. Stir in kale and continue cooking until tender, about 10 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Butternut squash and sage go together splendidly, and this simple, satisfying soup is perfect for this time of year. The squash can be roasted early in the day when sunshine is abundant while the rest can be done stovetop later in the day after sunset.

Sun Oven Butternut Squash Soup with Sage

Ingredients

1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 leek (white and pale green parts only), sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 fresh sage leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried

3 cups broth, chicken or vegetable

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Coat two baking pans with cooking spray.

Arrange the squash in single layers in the pans and coat with cooking spray.  Sprinkle kosher salt over squash. Cross stack the pans in the Sun Oven and cook until the squash is just soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from Sun Oven and cut into chunks.

While the squash is cooking heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and leak and cook, strirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sage and continue cooking for another minute. Add the roasted squash to the pot with the broth. Return the pot to the Sun Oven and cook until the squash is very soft, about 1 hour.

Remove the sage leaves (if using fresh) and discard. Using an immersion blender puree the soup until smooth. Stir in the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings

This classic Italian soup is served in almost every home and restaurant in Tuscany. Traditional Tuscan bread is called “pane sciocco” and is made without salt. I’ve never found real, salt-free, Tuscan bread outside of Tuscany. Not even in other regions of Italy.  A crusty sourdough is a good substitute for this Sun Oven version.

Ribollita

Ingredients

1/2 pound dried cannellini beans, previously cooked, cooking liquid reserved

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for serving

2  onions, chopped (about 2 cups)

3 carrots, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)

3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 can (28 ounce) Italian plum tomatoes in puree, chopped

4 cups shredded savoy cabbage

4 cups coarsely chopped kale

1 bay leaf

1 sprig rosemary

Vegetable broth

Good quality crusty bread, (preferably 1 day old), sliced

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat. Remove leveling tray and place a rack or trivet on the floor of the cooking chamber.

In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, garlic, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add the cabbage, kale, bay leaf, rosemary, and 1 cup broth. Cover and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the pot from the Sun Oven. Leave the Sun Oven out. Discard the bay leaf and rosemary sprig. Put about 1/3 of the cooked vegetables into the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the stockpot.

Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. Put half of the beans in a food processor with a little of their liquid and puree until smooth. Add enough vegetable broth to the bean’s cooking liquid to measure 7 cups. Add the whole and pureed beans along with the vegetable broth mixture to the stockpot and stir to combine. Put the stockpot back in the Sun Oven and continue cooking until heated through, about 45 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Ladle a little soup into each serving bowl. Line each bowl with the sliced bread. Cover with more soup. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil.

Makes 8 servings.

This soup has all the colors and flavors of fall. Serve it with some nice bread and a side of kale or other dark leafy greens for a wholesome vegetarian meal.

Autumn Sun Oven Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3/4 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed

1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 small white potato, peeled and diced

3 medium tart apples, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup evaporated milk (optional)

salt to taste

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic then the cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Stir in the lentils, sweet potato, white potato, and apples. Add enough water to cover the mixture by 1 1/2 inches. Cover and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the lentils and potatoes are soft, about 1 hour. Remove pot from the Sun Oven. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Add the milk if using. Season with salt.

Makes 6 servings

Celery root can be found in many supermarkets. It’s an odd looking, knobby brown bulb shaped vegetable with a crisp texture and a slightly peppery flavor. In can be eaten raw in salads or cooked, preferably solar cooked.

Silky Sun Oven Celery Root Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large celery root, peeled and shredded

1 large potato, diced

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened. Stir in the garlic. Add the celery root and potato and stir to combine. Add the broth, cover and transfer the pot to the Sun Oven.

Cook until vegetables are tender, 1 to 2 hours. In a small bowl whisk the cream cheese with about 1/2  to 1 cup of the liquid. Using an immersion blender, or working in batches with a blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Stir in the cream cheese mixture. Add the nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the parsley.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Colorful carrot soup is a great way to start a meal.

Sun Oven Curried Carrot Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced

2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wine and carrots and cook until the wine evaporates, about 30 seconds. Add the broth, curry powder, and salt. Cover and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the carrots are tender, about 1 hour. Remove the pot from the Sun Oven. Using an immersion blender puree the soup until smooth. Blend in enough of the milk to reach the desired consistency. Put the lid back on the Dutch oven and put it back in the Sun Oven until the soup is warmed through, about 30 minutes. Ladle soup into bowl and sprinkle each serving with parsley.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

I’m not a big fan of parsnips but every now and then I just have to give them another chance. I can’t think of any other food I do this with. So far this soup is the best parsnip recipe I’ve found.

Sun Oven Parsnip Soup

(Adapted for the Sun Oven from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 small onions, chopped

1 1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth

salt and pepper to taste

fresh cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Put the oil in a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients, add the chopped vegetables, stir to coat. Cover and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, 30 to 40 minutes. Add the broth, replace the lid, and continue cooking until vegetables are very tender, another 40 minutes to 1 hour. Remove pot from the Sun Oven. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the cilantro leaves.