Smells so Good Lentil Soup

49flavours's Note:

This makes a thick soup that smells amazing and tastes just as good. If you reheat it for lunch at work, everyone will ask what you have that smells so good. It also freezes well for leftovers.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 2 potatoes , chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion , chopped
• 4 carrots , chopped
• 2 stalks celery , chopped
• 4 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 ¾ cups water
• 3 ¾ cups vegetable broth (or 35 broth cubes from freezing in ice cube trays)
• 16 ounces stewed tomatoes , chopped
• ½ cup tomato juice (from the can of stewed tomatoes)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups dried red lentils
• ½ lb fresh spinach , chopped (or 5 oz frozen spinach)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Cook the potatoes a little over half way before chopping. (I microwave them on high for about 5 minutes.).
2. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery. Saute until onion is tender. Stir in potatoes, garlic, oregano, basil, and pepper. Cook for 1-2 more minutes.
3. Stir in water, broth, tomatoes, tomato juice, and bay leaves. (The liquid added should total 8 cups.) Bring to a boil. Add lentils and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for at least 1 hour.
4. Cook frozen spinach separately, by the package directions, or skip this step if using fresh spinach. Add the spinach and vinegar to the soup in the last 5 minutes of simmering.

Reviews

[Cadillacgirl]

This was a good soup, but just needed a little something extra. I found it did need some salt, so I added some chicken bouillon and a little zip so I added a garlic chili oil that I keep on hand and it was then perfect for me! Thanks! Made for PAC Spring '11