This is a Hungarian recipe which uses paprika which is very common in Hungarian cooking. You can make it vegetarian with vegetable stock if you prefer.
Something else. This is very yummy. Here's my take on it: I left out the onions and substituted red wine for the white. I used a cheap Shiraz but as long as you would drink it, it's all good. Just don't use cooking wine...blech. I chose red because white wine is for the lighter "meats" and lentils are the vegeterian equivalent of beef! Now, wine has a tendency to make things seem more salty (chemistry smarties will probably know the reason for this), so for stock, I used a low-sodium stock. - 08 Oct 2008
Used different ingredients. I am originally Hungarian and this was the best lentil soup I've made. I added chopped ham and that just made the soup even heartier. - 08 Oct 2008
This soup was SOO GOOD! I shared it with my neighbours, and we all agreed that we will be eating this stuff all winter. Very economical, too. Lentils are cheap, and if you can get a good deal on the chicken stock, then the whole thing costs very little to make. - 08 Oct 2008