Directions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, oregano and pinch of both salt and black pepper to the pot. Stir and let cook another 3-5 minutes until the mixture is well combined and very fragrant.
   
2. Add the bay leaf, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, chicken broth, 2 cups water and lentils to the pot and bring to a full boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the pot simmer for about an hour or until the lentils are soft.
   
3. While the soup simmers, char each side of the pepper on a gas burner until they are completely black. Once charred, put the peppers in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let steam for 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
   
4. Peel all of the char off of the peppers (a paper towel works well for this), then seed and stem the peppers.
   
5. Once the lentils are soft, discard the bay leaves. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup halfway with the two roasted peppers. Add 1 cup of water to thin out the soup.
   
6. Add spinach to the soup and heat for 2 more minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve immediately.