soup

Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. It’s getting cold out, so this week, she is sharing a simple lentil soup recipe that can be added onto with pantry items. She made this soup at Lapham Community Center and everyone loved it.
Simple Lentil Soup (makes 12 cups; can be frozen)
Ingredients:
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and picked over for small stones
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks or 3 celery hearts, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 cups (or three 32-ounce boxes) low sodium vegetable stock or chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 bunch fresh leafy vegetables (spinach, Swiss chard, or kale), cut into thin slivers
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Optional Add-In’s:
1/4 cup brown rice or barley
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or one 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes)
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
Directions:
Place lentils, onion, carrot, celery, oregano and stock in a large soup pot along with any “Optional Add-In’s.” Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, and cook, covered, for about 1 hour, or until lentils are soft. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in leafy vegetables and cook until they are just tender (spinach takes about a minute; kale and collard greens take longer).
Garnish with chopped parsley
This recipe makes a lot but can easily be frozen in serving size containers.
Yum!