Ingredients:

​

I bag dry lentils (16oz)

3 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4” rounds

1 stalk celery, chopped small

3 tbsp olive oil plus more for drizzling on top

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 qts Chicken or Vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Homemade croutons (recipe at the end)

Optional: 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, cut into 2” pieces

Also optional: 1 Tbsp tomato paste

​

Directions:

​

Place dry lentils into a large bowl.

Add cold water and let sit for 2 minutes.

Drain and rinse lentils under running water for any dirt/debris.

Pour olive oil into a Dutch oven.

Add chopped garlic and cut up sausage, if using.

Sauté on medium low heat until sausage is lightly browned and garlic is golden.

Allow oil to cool a bit before adding lentils, carrots and celery.

Add broth and tomato paste, if using.

Season with salt to taste.

Bring to a boil and simmer on low (covered) for about 30 to 40 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Taste some at the 30 minute mark to make sure they do not overcook.

Consistency of lentils should be soft but not mushy.

If liquids evaporate too much, add a bit of water.

Adjust seasoning by adding pepper and salt, if needed.

Let soup sit covered for 10 minutes.

Serve topped with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a few homemade croutons.

Homemade croutons recipe:

2 cups of day old crusty bread, cut into cubes

Olive oil, garlic powder, salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Spread diced bread over paper.

Drizzle olive oil over bread.

Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt.

Toss bread to make sure it’s seasoned well.

Add more oil and seasoning if needed.

Bake in hot oven until light brown.

Shut off oven but leave croutons in there.

We want croutons to get dry and crunchy.

When oven has cooled down, try a crouton to see if it’s the consistency and flavor you like.

If not, adjust seasonings and bake a bit longer.

Cold croutons can be stored in sealed glass (mason) jar in a cool dry place for a couple weeks.

​​

Tips:

​

As I mentioned in the recipe, this soup can be made richer by the addition of either pork or chicken Italian sausage.

​

If you like kielbasa, you may use that instead of Italian sausage.

​

Chopped, peeled tomatoes ( 1/2 c) can be substituted for the tomato paste.When I get leftover lentil soup, I reheat it adding a little more broth and some cooked brown rice. Yummy!