Lentils have become very popular in America in recent years as it is a great source of healthy protein and a delicious meal. This is my family’s recipe of Italian lentil soup. It is traditionally thought of in Italy as a vegetarian dish that is part of what the Italians refer to as cucina povera. Full of fresh ingredients from the Earth, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, lentils and more. Fast forward to today and cucina povera is now gourmet and adaptations of its origins will be found in five star michilin restaurants in Italy and the world.

Italian lentil soup in general is thought of as a hearty, nutrient dense, perfect comfort food on a cold winter day. Our grandmothers were especially fond of this soup knowing all the benefits it carries in one amazing bowl of love. Every ingredient is carefully chosen to create a symphony of flavors. You can find a variety of lentils to choose from here.

You will find a wide variety of lentils at your local market or right here. They will vary in size and color. Today I am going to show you how to make our family recipe for Italian lentil soup, from the region of Puglia. Every region of Italy has their own way of cooking. Lentils are no different, they too are steeped in tradition. For example in Umbria region they won the honor of having the best quality prized lentils from (click to purchase) Castelluccio da Norcia. If they are available to you I would highly recommend your trying them sometime. If not there are many quality lentils available locally at your market.

Lentils are packed with nutrients and freeze perfectly in small sealed glass containers for meal planning and prepping for the week ahead. I love my air tight sealed glass containers for food storage.

The Worlds Best Lentil Soup Recipe

Recipe by Maria PaulinaCourse: Uncategorized

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Lentil soup can be considered a whole meal that is also hearty and heathy for the whole family to love.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried lentils ( in a strainer you will need to wash under cool water and look for any imperfections in the lentils that look like tiny stone and remove)
  

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 1/2 medium onion

• 2 carrots chopped semi fine
  

• 2 celery stalks chopped semi fine

• 1 clove very finely chopped garlic

• 1 medium potato semi finely chopped
  

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

• 10-15 cherry tomatoes cut in half or tbls. tomato paste

• 1 tsp Salt
  1/2 tsp pepper

• 5 cups of water or vegetable broth when possible low sodium
  

• 1/4 cup red or white drinking wine

• 1 bay leaf

Directions

• In a small pot on medium flame, add olive oil. Once hot add the onion, carrots, and celery. Stirring often, allow to saute all together for about 15 minutes, add the garlic stir few more times.
• If you are adding a potato add it now! I do usually add potato if i have on hand.
• Add your 2 cups washed strained lentils
• Stir well and allow to mix well together releasing the flavor for about 5 minutes.
  
  
• Add your water or Vegetable broth now into the pot. Now add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir all ingredients well together. Bring to a slow boil and then lower heat and add your bay leave, then cover. Stirring occasionally. Especially the bottom and all around. Be sure to cover after stirring.
• Allow to cook on low for at least one hour. An hour and a half is even better. (optional, after 45 minutes of simmering, you can add 1/4 cup of white or red drinking wine. Also, If you don’t have the time to allow it to simmer on the stove, you can transfer to a crockpot and place it on a low setting for a few hours.
  
• Place in serving bowls, add some freshly grated parmigiano cheese on top. Serve hot. You can add some bread or crackers on the side if you’d like.