I’ve resisted lentils for a long time. There’s no reason for my avoidance. I guess I just didn’t find them interesting enough. But funny how things change. Now I know better. Not only are lentils a great source of protein – a rare vegetarian source of protein – but they’re packed with folate, iron, potassium, thiamin, and tons of other minerals. And they’re completely all natural. That’s not something I could ignore forever. So add lentils to my favorite cool weather meal – soup – and it’s nothing short of true love. Really, what’s not to love. Lentils don’t need to be soaked overnight like other legumes. They’re easy to add to anything you’re cooking. And they’re practically tasteless, so they can take on the flavors of whatever you like. Even my kids had no arguments.
Soup is one of my favorite ways to get dinner on the table fast, especially when the weather turns cooler. And this soup has quickly become a go-to recipe. It’s very forgiving, so you can vary the ingredients based on what you have on hand or what you like. Or most importantly, what your kids will eat. The thing about this soup that I like most is that it freezes so well. The recipe as written makes enough to feed an army, so plan for leftovers. They make a cozy lunch the next day. But the big payoff is the fact that you can cook once, and put half of this meal in the freezer for a night when you’re frantically looking for something to feed your screaming family. Since I’m highly suspicious of plastic and it’s chemicals, I like to use glass containers for storing leftovers. But glass containers are pretty expensive. I have a hard time paying upwards of six dollars for a glass container that’s the same size as the glass jar that comes with my mayonnaise. So instead of buying all those new containers I just wash the ones I get for free. It’s true that putting things in glass containers in the freezer can be trouble, since things expand as they freeze. That’s easy to circumvent though – just leave about a 1″ space between the top of the soup and the top of the jar and put it in the freezer without a lid. Once it freezes, usually withing 12 hours, go back and put the lid on. You’re good to go, and never have to worry about whether your food is soaking up toxic chemicals.
Italian Lentil Soup
serves 8, or freeze half
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
28 ounces diced tomatoes
8 – 10 cups water
1/2 – 1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups lentils
1 package frozen spinach
Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add carrots and onion and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Stir in basil and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add in tomatoes, 8 cups water, sea salt, pepper, bay leaf, and lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook over low heat for 30 – 45 minutes, or until lentils are tender. If soup is very thick you can add up to 2 cups more water. (You may need to adjust seasonings.) Add spinach. Continue cooking until spinach is thawed and heated through. Scoop into bowls and serve warm with a big hunk of crusty bread.
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I love your idea for recycling glass containers. Great tip!
We are having this tonight for our Meatless Monday dinner