You are not alone if the words “lentil soup” don’t exactly make you start salivating. Honestly, I decided make Giada’s Lentil soup because every magazine I’ve picked up in the last month has had some feature on the stupid things and how they revolutionize your health. So I felt obligated. Giada’s recipe had over 500 RAVE reviews, which made me a little more hopeful. And honestly, it was delicious. Not “delicious,” like, healthy/delicious. Reeeally, good! I am happy to pass this along. A few notes. She calls for “a pound bag, or 1 1/4 c cup of lentils.” Well I don’t know if bags are sized differently in Italy or California or wherever Giada is making up her lentils, but here in NC a pound bag is more like THREE 1/4 cup lentils. I only used 1 1/4 c. and it was PLENTY of lentils. I soaked them overnight. One of the reviews said to make sure you give the tomatoes plenty of time to “break down.” I did this. Anyway, I highly recommend this recipe!
Giada’s Lentil Soup
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 broth
- 4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan (I omited)
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.
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Thanks for the tip about the lentil measurements. I’ve made this soup before using a whole bag of lentils – over 3 cups (dry) here in Philadelphia too lol. I’m going to try this soup again using half of a one pound bag (or about 1 & 1/2 cups dry). I think that’ll be a better end result. This is a delicious recipe, even with the over abundance of lentils I used the first time. I’ll try to repost after I cut the lentils back to 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups. Thanks for helping clear this ‘lentil debacle’ up!