We really like lentils but I don’t use them a lot so when I was restocking my bean supply a couple of weeks ago, I decided to go heavy on the lentils since that’s about the only bean or bean related item that we had been out of for a while.
Today I made lentil soup. Even though they’re a great substitute for meat as far as protein, I did add ground beef and chopped ham to the pot. I don’t go by a recipe but this one is somewhat close to how I make the soup.
I started by browning the ground beef, adding onions, celery, garlic and bell pepper – all chopped, of course. Then I added herbs and spices – mostly a good bit of Italian herbs (the kind you buy in the spice jar already mixed), along with some chopped rosemary and a few bay leaves. Then I added 2 – 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes, about 5 cups of water, 1 pound of brown lentils and 1 pound of carrots, scraped and sliced.
This is where I cannot be trusted when cooking. I opened the fridge to see what else I might be able to use and I saw a bag of brussels sprouts that needed to be used so I cut the stem end off, cut them in half and into the soup they went. I almost put in a pound or so of broccoli but decided I might make broccoli soup later this week.
There are three containers for the freezer and a half gallon jar full that’s in the fridge for leftovers over the next few days.
Linda B. says
That sounds delicious! Thank you for your recipe
Joyce says
I had lentil soup at a Christmas party back in December. The lentils were mashed which thickened the soup naturally. I don’t care for the texture of whole lentils much, but the soup I had was quite good. (I need to get the recipe from the friend who made it.)
Susan Nixon says
Looks good to me. Lentil soup was always part of Paul’s Italian feast. =)