Lentil Soup

I am not a chef, nor do I not relish coming home from work and rushing to make a meal that satisfies all of my family members while still being healthy. What I do enjoy is making soups and stews. Typically, I spend my Sundays in preparation of one special weekly meal. Invariably, that meal includes either a soup or stew. One of my favorites to make is Lentil Soup.

This delicious and easy recipe is not only healthy and inexpensive, but loved by all my family members. In addition, it can be easily frozen and reheated at a later date. I learned to make this special soup from my mother and when I got tired of begging her to send some my way, I decided to learn to make it myself.

As with all of my recipes, I seldom stick to what is written. To be honest, most are not actually written. This Lentil Soup is a perfect example as most of the ingredients can be omitted or substituted with whatever you might have in your pantry.

Getting Started

The Ingredients

• ¾ pound lentils
• One 29 ounce can tomato sauce
• 14.5 can diced tomatoes
• One medium size onion
• One medium size green pepper
• 2 large carrots
• One clove garlic
• 1 cup water
• One ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper

Preparation

To begin with, be sure to wash and check your lentils thoroughly. Lentils do not need to be soaked overnight. Dice the onions, green pepper, and garlic. Chop the carrots into bite sized pieces.

Cooking

• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.

• Sauté the onion, green pepper, and garlic.

• Combine the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and lentils in a large saucepan.

• Add 1-cup water and the onion green pepper mix to the pot.

• Stir in salt, pepper, and cinnamon.

• Bring soup to a low boil.

• Simmer or low heat for 3 hours, stirring frequently.