Saturday, February 21, 2009

Hearty Lentil Soup

I had never had lentils before making this soup. You can buy a bag of them by the bagged, dry beans at the store or in the bulk food aisle as well. They are tiny little beans, I guess, and are packed full of fiber (the recipe says there are 10 grams of fiber per serving from the lentils!).

This soup was really good and very filling. I put half in the freezer for a later time since we also had leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day as well. This is a great soup to get more fiber and veggies into your diet.

Hearty Lentil Soup From Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking

3 cups water
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
3 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 small green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup uncooked brown rice
1 tsp dried basil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup tomato paste (I used 2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce since I was out of tomato paste-it would be slightly less tomatoey, but still good)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas

In a large saucepan, combine the first 11 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until lentils and rice are tender.

Add the tomato paste, corn and peas; stir until blended. Cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until corn and peas are tender. Discard bay leaf before serving.

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