Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
- 11 cups low-salt chicken or veggie broth
- 4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan
Directions
Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.
Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.
*I made this for a big family party and everyone loved it, even the kids. The best thing about lentil soup is that you can be flexible with the ingredients and it will still turn out good! ENJOY and thanks for letting me be a part of this blog! :)
I made this today and was going to double it but it makes a bunch! I'd say it feeds 8-10. It was yummy! I used less broth so it was more like a stew.
ReplyDeleteI made a double batch of this last night and froze half of it! I used star-shaped pasta and red lentils instead! I used less broth so it was a thicker lentil/pasta chili which was really good! We had it with my frozen supply of Baci rolls from StoneGround Bakery! Quick, simple and delicious!! This is a great soup to whip out because I usually have all of the ingredients in my house (except the fresh thyme).
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