Hearty Tomato and Lentil Soup

Shannon W.'s Note:

I threw this soup together the other night using only ingredients I had on hand. It was fabulous, fulfilling, and best of all, cheap to make. Serve with crusty bread and shredded cheddar on top.....and a glass of red wine and a movie! PS You can also add other vegetables to this soup: anything goes!!!

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 2 small onions , chopped
• 5 celery ribs , chopped
• olive oil flavored cooking spray
• 1 lb brown lentils
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 (14 ½ ounce) cans tomatoes (any type-diced, stewed, whole, etc. is fine)
• salt and pepper
• grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Saute onions and celery in olive oil cooking spray until onions are translucent.
2. Add 1 lb brown lentils, vegetable broth, water and .the cans of tomatoes.
3. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are soft and celery is tender.
5. NOTE: I used 8 cups of broth plus one cup water for a thicker soup. If you desire a thinner soup, you may want to add an extra 2 cups of broth if desired.

Reviews

[DuChick]

5 thumbs up for a healthy, hearty soup! Everyone may not love this soup, but I did, especially with it being high in protein and sooo low in fat. It was also super easy to put together. I did add about a teaspoon of dried basil to enhance the tomato flavor. I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes and about 3/4 lb. of lentils (all I had), so I didn't need to add water. I will enjoy this for leftovers! Thanks for creating this, Shannon!