Mike is always complaining that he can't stand certain food items. Inevitably, they'll be items that I'm experimenting with or am currently in love with. He always says he doesn't like lentils and then when he sits down with a bowl of my soup, he has to admit that mine are ok (and then he goes back for seconds).
Lentils are yummy. Embrace them! I love getting lentil soup at the Indian buffet and the Moroccan restaurant. I've made a lentil and italian sausage soup that is to die for. But my favorite is lentil vegetable soup.
I buy these big bags of red lentils (or whatever color they have at the time) at the Pacific Ocean Market -- cheap!-- or from the bins at Whole Foods. One bag is good for at least 4 pots of soup, depending on how much I'm making. We had company Sunday so I used up 2 cups, but for just me and Mike, 1 cup gives us leftovers for the week.
So without further adieu, my lentil soup recipe (and it's really kind of versatile, so feel free to play).
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery sticks, chopped
2-3 medium carrots, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup lentils
4-5 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
Thyme
Salt and pepper
Heat your olive oil in a big, heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add in your onion and garlic and saute until tender (you don't want to burn your garlic so you can wait until the onion is almost cooked through to add it if you prefer). Next add your celery and carrots. I let them cook in the oil for just a couple of minutes to get them started, but you don't really need to. Add your tomatoes (just a standard sized can), lentils, broth, and bay leaves and season with thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and then lower heat. Cover and simmer until the lentils are cooked through (I let mine go for an hour, usually, but it probably takes less time than that).
Serve with crusty bread. You can also add a dollop of sour cream to your bowl, if you like.
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