Sunday Soupday

We woke up to a little surprise yesterday morning...it snowed overnight and covered everything! I heard there was a chance of snow, but I guess it just didn't sink in, because I was shocked when I looked outside. Anyway, it didn't stick to the roads or cause any problems - and it was completely melted by mid-afternoon - but, it did put me in the mood for soup. I've always liked lentil soup, but I've never made it until yesterday. I found a recipe online (courtesy Giada De Laurentiis) and tweaked it a little. It's healthy and quite tasty, too! Matt also really likes it, which is always a bonus. :)

LENTIL SOUP

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite or regular diced tomatoes
1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
8 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Note: Giada's recipe called for a few things that I did not use: 2/3 cup dried elbow pasta, which she adds about 10 minutes before the soup is served. (If you use the pasta, then increase your broth by about 2 cups.) She serves the soup with shredded parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil on top. I didn't have any shredded parm, or I would have done this. And, I omitted the olive oil... just because I don't think it needed it! Also, I used a combination of vegetable broth and chicken broth. I didn't really measure out 8 cups, but just kept adding broth until it was the right consistency. I think it was pretty close to 8 cups, though. And finally, I used about a teaspoon of dried thyme instead of fresh thyme sprigs.