Lentil Minestrone

[Guest guest]

It's going to get cold here again tonight, so here's the recipe for my favorite

soup that I think I'll make:

 

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Lentil Minestrone

 

Recipe By : Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Beans & Rice Soups & Stews

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups onion -- finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup fresh parsley -- chopped

4 cloves garlic -- minced

3 carrots -- diced

1 cup celery -- chopped

salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup lentils -- sorted & rinsed

Aromatics: 2 bay leaves, 8 parsley

branches, & 6 thyme sprigs

10 cups water or vegetable stock*

mushroom soy sauce to taste

1/2 10 oz. bag spinach (washed & trimmed)

2 cups cooked shell pasta (4 oz. dry)

1 thin shavings of Parmesan cheese or

Parmesan-Reggiano (optional)

 

Heat oil in a wide soup pot with onion. Saute over high heat, stirring

frequently, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste, parsley,

garlic, and vegetables, and cook 3 minutes more. Add lentils, aromatics, and

water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30

minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and season with pepper and additional salt, if

desired, to taste. Add mushroom soy sauce to taste, starting with 1 tablespoon.

Remove the aromatics.

 

Boil the greens in salted water until they are tender and bright green,

then chop them coarsely. Just before serving, add the greens and the cooked

pasta to the soup and heat through. Serve with extra virgin olive oil drizzled

into each bowl, a generous grind of pepper, and the Parmesan, if desired.

 

OPTIONAL PREPARATION METHOD: I added the greens and pasta to the soup and

cooked for 10-12 additional minutes.

 

 

 

 

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NOTES : * I used water with Knorr Concentrated Vegetable Broth.