You are probably wondering if people actually eat lentils or if we are just supposed to use them for kindergarten craft projects, but I promise you they are not only edible they are actually good for you. So, put away the glue stick and try this Lentil soup. It is easy to throw together and makes for a hearty dinner.

Thanks again to Wondertime Magazine for this meal idea. As usual I modified it just a little to fit our family.

Cast of Characters:
Olive Oil
Onion
2 Stalks Celery
2 Carrots
1 cup of tomato’s (crushed or puree)
2 cups of lentils
4 cups of chicken broth
2 extra cups of water
1 bay leaf
Garlic
Thyme
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
*Kielbasa (leftover from yesterday’s meal)

What to do:

1. After peeling and washing your onion, carrots, and celery put them into a food processor. You can hand chop them if you like. I process them so that they are very small and my husband won’t complain about eating vegetables.

2. Put the above into a pan and saute with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Saute until the vegetables are softened a bit, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and then saute about 5 minutes more.

4. In a soup pan add the following: tomato sauce/puree, chicken broth, lentils, bay leaf, thyme, and 2 extra cups of water. Stir together and put on low heat.

5. Add the vegetable mixture to the soup pot and simmer for an hour and a half.

6. Add the keilbasa and the balsamic vinegar just a few minutes before serving. The balsamic vinegar is really important for this soup, it gives it the kick it needs.

We ate this with cornbread and although we found it very unique, it was a hit.