Hearty and Healthy Lentil Soup

By Michelle Karam on October 23, 2011

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When the weather turns chilly, what's more comforting than a bowl of hot and hearty soup?

It's the perfect thing for a cold winter day - a delicious dish that fills you with warmth and good cheer.

On a scale of one to ten, when it comes to taste, this is an 11! And the best news is that it's super easy to make. There's a little bit of prep work, but after that it can be made in the crock pot and left to simmer all day long!

Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Large onion, finely chopped
• 2 Large carrots, finely chopped
• 3 Stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 2 Potatoes. cut into small cubes
• ½ Red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 Cups fresh spinach or 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
• 2 Cups brown lentils, rinsed and picked through (or a package of Trader Joe's pre-cooked packaged lentils works great!!)
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• ¼ Cup plain tomato sauce
• 2 Quarts chicken or vegetable stock
• ½ Teaspoon cumin
• Salt & Pepper

Optional Ingredients

• ½ Cup uncooked small pasta shells
• ½ Cup diced smoked ham (that will be added when the vegetables are sweating in the oil)
• 1 Sausage diced or sliced - spicy chicken sausage is excellent!
• ½ Cup cannellini beans
• ½ Cup croutons - add upon serving
• A dash or two of Tabasco goes a long way too!

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add onion, carrot, celery and pepper. Allow to sweat or cook on the stovetop until the onions are translucent or you can see thru them (about 5 minutes).

Add the lentils, potatoes, tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasonings and allow to cook on a med-low simmer for about one hour. Add spinach and cook for 10 more minutes.

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