Yummy Lentil Soup Recipe

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This lentil soup recipe is a great cold weather treat. It can be served as is - vegetables only - or you can add some white rice or short pasta to make it an even heartier Italian soup recipe. Your choice!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound lentils of your choice (I use the brown kind), rinsed and sorted
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 medium white potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 quarts water plus two bullion cubes (or chicken or vegetable broth)
2 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp salt

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic and let cook until all these veggies begin to tenderize a bit, approximately 6 minutes.

Add the water or broth. Throw in the rest of the ingredients, minus the bullion cubes and salt. Bring them all to a boil over high heat, then add the seasonings. (Remember don't add the bullion cubes if you are using stock!) Turn the heat down to low, stir the soup, and let simmer until the lentils are tender...about 35-40 minutes.

If you like, you can add some rice or pasta about 10 minutes before the soup is done cooking. If you do this you may need to add an additional cup to two cups of water. Otherwise, remove the soup from the stove, serve with crusty Italian bread and enjoy!

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