Lentil Vegetable Stew

This is derived from a turkey vegetable soup my Mum used to make the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas, using leftover turkey meat. I tend to use lentils these days instead, with everything else staying pretty much the same. Obviously this is delicious with the meat as well if you prefer, but when you use lentils you don't miss the meat at all! Very easy to make in bulk to keep as leftovers, and it freezes very well. The recipe lends itself well to versatility: just put in about a can's worth of whatever you want, adding a cup of broth for each cup's worth of ingredient. Can be made completely vegetarian by using vegetable broth.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 7 -8  cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1 (15 ounce) can green beans (drained)
• 1 (15 ounce) can corn (drained)
• 3 -4  carrots, chopped (enough to fill a 15 oz can)
• 3  potatoes, chopped (enough to fill a 15 oz can)
• 2 -3  stalks celery, chopped (enough to fill a 15 oz can)
• 1  medium onion, chopped (enough to fill a 15 oz can)
• 1⁄2 cup lentils (use more or less depending on how soupy or stewy you want it, the lentils absorb a lot of water)
• 1 (12 ounce) jar  pizza sauce (trust me, this is key)

Directions

1. In a very large pot, add cans of green beans and corn.
2. What I do next is chop up the other ingredients (save the lentils) to fill an empty green bean or corn can and add the ingredients a can at a time. So chop up your desired ingredients and add them each to the pot, including the lentils.
3. Once all your veggies and beans are in the pot, add chicken or vegetable broth one cup at a time until you reach your desired broth level, keeping in mind that the lentils will absorb quite a bit of water. I find that a cup of broth per can of veggies is just about right.
4. Add the pizza sauce.
5. Stir well and bring to a boil then let simmer for about an hour, or until veggies are as tender as you like them, stirring occasionally.
6. Serve and enjoy!