Looking for a meatless meal for tonight’s Lenten supper? Tired of pizza and fish fry? Here’s a hearty and satisfying lentil soup recipe that’a a favorite at our house, especially on a snowy winter day like today.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 small onions, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leafs
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 8 cups water (or vegetable broth, in which case you can drop bouillon cube)
- 1 vegetable boullion cube
- salt, to taste
- fresh ground pepper, to taste
- dash soy sauce
- splash of red wine (optional)
- 1 cup acini pepe pasta (or other small pasta — orzo, ditalini — or cooked rice)
Preparation
1. Saute onions, garlic, celery, carrots in olive oil until soft.
2. Add lentils, water, bay leaves, thyme, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 15 minutes so lentils start to soften.
3. Add boullion, salt and pepper, soy sauce, and wine, if using.
4. Simmer for 90 minutes. Add uncooked small pasta (or cooked rice) eight minutes before serving. (If I want a slightly smoother soup, I will zap this with a handheld immersion blender for a few seconds before I add the pasta or rice. Be careful not to burn yourself!)
5. Serve with bread and salad.
