Hearty Lentil Soup
This warm and gentle dinner is perfect on a cool autumnal or winter day. Basic pantry ingredients combined with fresh vegetables, it is a perfect slow-cooker meal. Vegetarians simply substitute protein and use vegetable stock instead of chicken broth.
Ingredients:
Dried lentils soaked in broth (equal portions of dried beans to stock e.g. one cup and one cup)
1 large red onion
2/3 stalks of celery with leaves
2/3 carrots
1 lb. of fresh mushrooms
2 additional cups of broth
garlic powder (1 tsp.)
salt and pepper
2 tbl. of tomato paste
1 bay leaf
Remove skin from onion. Halve the onion and cut the vegetables into bite sized pieces. Put everything in a slow cooker. Add protein an hour before serving time or at the beginning of cooking time if cooking with slowest temperature setting. If adding vegetables such as zucchini or spinach, add last half hour of cooking time. During lent, my grandmother did not add any meat. When it was not a meatless meal, my grandmother added Italian sausage. Simply remember the longer this simmers, the better it tastes. This delicious soup is tied with pasta y fagioli as my favorite comfort food.
At serving time, sprinkle with imported Italian cheese (peccarino romano or parmigiana reggiano)
and a loaf of crusty bread.
