My new favorite food to cook with right now seems to be lentils. I can use them in a soup, to replace meat in tacos, to layer on a salad or even mixed in with pasta. There are so many ways to use this tiny and tasty, little legume.
I also love the fact that within this little guy, it is loaded with nutrition like fiber, iron and protein but without all the calories, cholesterol or fat.
If you haven’t tried cooking with them yet, I really recommend you try. And here is a super easy recipe to get you started.
Lentil Soup with Tiny Shells
Yield:
6
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Total Time:
30 minutes
Hearty & Satisfying- a great comfort soup packed with nutrition.
Ingredients
- 2 TB. Olive Oil
- 2 Medium Carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 Large Onion, chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced (or 1 tsp. minced jarred garlic)
- 16oz can of Diced Tomatoes
- 32 oz Vegetable Stock
- 1 Cup Lentils, rinsed and looked through (remove any tiny stones or particles)
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Course Ground Pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Thyme
- 2-3 Cups Water
- 2 Cups Spinach, torn
- 1 Cup Pasta Shells (I used Ancient Harvest Quinoa)
- Shredded Diaya Mozzarella cheez (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high.
- Add in carrots, onions and garlic and cook until tender. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Add tomatoes and their liquid, vegetable stock, water, lentils, and spices.
- Heat to boiling then reduce to low, cover and simmer until lentils are almost cooked. (al dente).
- Stir in pasta and allow to cook until tender. Throw in spinach at very end and allow to sit a minute or two.
- I like to top my bowl of soup with a little Daiya Cheez!
Notes
You can make this Gluten free simply by substituting GF pasta shells like Tinkyada, Ancient Harvest or even Barilla has now come out with their own GF line.
I really enjoy the blog.Much thanks again. Great.
Thanks so much. It is just getting started so please be patient as new information is being put in soon.
Thank you for the easy to to put together recipe! I have this simmering on the stove right now, with the addition of celery. Using up the ends of elbow macaroni, shells, pene, and rottinni .
The sounds great. I always add to recipes I see as well. Such a great way to get in some extra nutrients.
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Thank you! I am working on updating the blog and getting more information on it for everyone. Hope to see you back soon.
Thank you! I’m working on updating the Site and will be posting more soon .