Lentil and Vegetable Soup

By Jess Kehoe, DPT

, Lentil soup is a great winter comfort food, and lentils are such a great source of protein.  My usual go to lentil soup is a blended version, but I saw this on Food and Wine and thought I should give it a try.  What a good choice!  The flavors of this soup really turn out wonderful.  It also makes a huge amount and we ate two dinners and several lunches from the one pot.  I also think it would be a great one to freeze for a future meal, or if you are doing a lot of meal prepping.  One note, this calls for three full onions, which seemed like way to many, and so I only used two.  That still seemed quite excessive but in the end was probably part of what made it so delicious!  

Ingredients
1 lb French green lentils
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large onions, chopped (I only used 2) 
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large leeks, white and tender green parts chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
8 celery ribs, cut into 1/2 inch dice
6 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 quarts chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese for serving

Instructions
In a large heatproof bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and let stand for 15 minutes.  Drain and then set aside.

While the lentils are soaking, heat the olive oil in a large soup pot on medium heat.  Add the onions, leeks, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper, thyme and cumin.  Cook stirring occasionally until tender, about 20 minutes.

Add in the celery and carrots, cook until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes.  Add the stock, tomato paste and the lentils, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Then lower the heat to moderate and simmer uncovered, until the lentils are tender, about an hour.  You will want to stir this occasionally while it is cooking.

Stir in the red wine and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve hot with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

​Enjoy!