What a wet weekend! On Sunday, it rained nonstop and so I holed up indoors and made a big pot of lentil soup with pasta. Home cooking hit the spot after two consecutive nights of eating out (first at Broadway Centro Pizza and then at India Clay Oven Restaurant & Bar.)
The International Year of Pulses is over, but if you’re looking to increase your legume intake in 2019, give this recipe a go. Lentil soup with pasta is packed with fresh produce and flavor and comes together in less than an hour. Serve it with crusty bread for a light but satisfying meal.
Recipe adapted from Giadzy.
Lentil Soup with Pasta
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- ½ leek (white and light green parts only), quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced and rinsed
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
- 1¾ cups green lentils
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 3 cups packed torn kale leaves
- ⅔ cup miniature rotelle or other short pasta
- grated Asiago cheese (for topping)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes.
- Add garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes.
- Add lentils and stir to combine. Add chicken broth, thyme and parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
- Add kale and rotelle and cook until pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes.
- Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Top with Asiago cheese.
