My first food featured for my Effortless Addition blog is Lentils. I thought I would put together this simple soup recipe that we enjoy in my home, it was inspired from this recipe I found online. I love how easy it is to customize this to your tastes and it makes a nice big batch so you can halve the recipe or freeze the leftovers for later.
Recipe
- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 large or 2 small onions diced
- 2-3 carrots diced
- 3 stalks of celery diced
- 2-4 cloves of garlic, smashed* and minced
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Basil
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 cups dry lentils (any colour, feel free to mix varieties) – rinsed
- 4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 4 cups water (or more broth)
- 1 large can (28 fl oz) of diced tomatoes (I use Glen Muir Fire Roasted for extra flavour)
salt to taste
black pepper
Optional add-ins:
- 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice (I use balsamic vinegar)
- shredded spinach (fresh or frozen) or shredded kale
- parmigiana cheese
Directions:
In a large pot heat up olive oil. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).
Add garlic, oregano and basil and cook an additional 2-3 minutes (this really infuses the flavour into the vegetables).
Add liquid (water/broth), tomatoes, lentils and bay leaf.
Bring to a boil and then turndown to low heat. Cook for 1-2 hours.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Vinegar or lemon can be added as well.
Add any additions and serve!!
Taste approved by River…
