Lentil and Tomato Soup

Nicole N's Note:

From the cookbook Cooking on a Budget. Use whichever lentils you have - we like it with red lentils, but it's very nice with green or brown lentils (or a combination). I occasionally will add a couple of rashers of diced bacon if I've got bacon on hand, but without the bacon it's a great vegetarian/vegan soup. This also freezes very well.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 ½ cups red lentils
• 440 g tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon dried herbs
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large heavy based pot or stock pot and gently cook finely chopped onions, garlic and celery till transulscent, but not browned.
2. Add lentils, canned tomatoes, bayleaf, mixed herbs, tomato paste and vegetable stock, bring to the boil, then reduce heatand simmer, stirring occasionally, for an hour or until the lentils are tender.
3. Remove the bay leave and check seasonings and adjust to your personal taste. Enjoy.

Reviews

[halcrewebon]

Yummy and simple. I wasn't exactly faithful to the recipe... I didn't have any celery and I don't like onions, so I used onion salt instead and added oregano, red pepper flakes and a bit of chili powder for a slightly spicy soup. Very tasty, though a bit boring without the added crunch of the vegetables.

[Evie*]

This is delicious, I made it on a cool Sunday afternoon and served it with some freshly baked bread. Thanks for sharing

[Missy Wombat]

Excellent easy soup recipe that didn't take as long to cook as expected. Enjoyed by all including an almost 2 year old and a 4 year old.