Lentil and Cactus Soup (Mom's Recipe)

This is an authentic Mexican recipe from Cueva Grande, Valparaiso, Zacatecas, Mexico. The only thing I changed was the addition of the potatoes.

Original recipe makes 10 servings

Ingredients

14 cups water
3 cloves garlic, cut into thirds
1 pound lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 1/2 tablespoons chicken bouillon (such as Knorr®)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon (such as Knorr®), or to taste
1 cup cooked nopales (cactus), drained
3 small potatoes, peeled and chopped

PREP

20 mins
COOK

1 hr 30 mins
READY IN

1 hr 50 mins

Directions

Bring the water to a boil in a soup pot with 3 cloves of garlic. Stir in the lentils and 1 1/2 tablespoons of chicken bouillon. Simmer over medium-low heat until lentils are almost soft, about 1 hour.
Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet, and cook and stir the onion and 2 chopped cloves of garlic until the onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato and continue to cook and stir until the tomato releases its juice, about 5 more minutes. Stir the tomato mixture into the lentil soup along with cumin and 2 more teaspoons of chicken bouillon, or to taste. Bring the soup to a simmer, stir in the nopales and potatoes, and cook over low heat until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.