I make vegetarian lentil soup and meat/ham based soups both, depending on my mood and lot of times I play around with the recipe. I use green lentils because the red ones cook too fast. White wine in the veggie style. Onions, carrots, bay leaves,garlic, tarragon (sometimes) salt, pepper,sometimes barley, broth... I leave it in the crock pot forever so I don't even need a blender. I put leftovers in freezer containers for lunches down the road. Love it!
I make a German type of brown lentil soup with beef or ham. I use raw garlic, lots of onions and peppers, carrots and also a parsnip or two as my son loves them. I use a beef bone broth with a good red wine for my liquid. I let it cook for hours and replenish the liquid as necessary. Not the wine though. Everyone loves it and it is healthy. Always remember to remove the bay leaves when cooking is done.
I use lentils in my ham with bone White Northern bean soup. Lentils and White Northern beans seem to be best buds, at least to my buds.
It is still really COLD today, so making a nice hot lentil and veggie soup for our dinner later today. It is all in the pot and simmering away. I had soaked the lentils, so they should cook up really well.
I love lentil soup but daughter made butternut squash soup so that is my next recipe to conquer. She also made white chili with the squash. Both were yummy and warming on a cold day.