FoodB

I have had lentils only once in my life and really enjoyed them. So I have tried to get Jenn to cook them for about 2-3 years now with no results to show for it. With her new resolve to cook one new soup recipe a week, I was very pleased to see that lentil soup would be on the menu for the week.

Lentil Soup Recipe
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, chopped
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Celery Stalks, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced Tomatoes
1-pound Lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
11 cups low-salt Chicken Broth
4 to 6 fresh Thyme sprigs
2/3 cup dried Elbow Pasta
1 cup shredded Parmesan

1. Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and sauté until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Good stuff. We have yet to make a soup that I don't like yet. I guess I have had a very limited view of what soups can be. When you order one at a restaurant, your options are limited to a tomato based soup, a chicken broth based soup, or a cream based soup. I don't like cream based anything and am very leery of the tomato-based soups as well, so that leaves me with chicken broth soups only. It's too bad that most restaurants are so limited on what they will make as far as soups go because I am finding that the options are wide open.