The east coast has been been getting hit pretty hard with winter weather recently and with another major storm heading this way,it looks like winter is far from done. (Damn that groundhog!) If you’re looking for a hearty dinner for a cold winter’s night, look no further than this Italian Lentil Soup. It’s quick,easy and delicious…and will warm your bones!
Here’s what you need: (hopefully you won’t have to venture out into 25 inches of snow to get it!)
- lentils
- extra virgin olive oil
- 3 stalks of celery –chopped
- 2 carrots –diced
- 1 onion –diced
- 1-2 tomato or a small can of diced or crushed tomatoes
- box of spaghetti
- salt and pepper
What you need to do:
Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil and add your lentils (we use about 1/2 a bag for the 2 of use and we have plenty of left-overs) Let the lentils boil for about 2-3 minutes,then remove and rinse them. In a large pot,add your olive oil,celery,onion,carrots,tomatoes,lentils and enough water to cover all your ingredients. Then add your salt and pepper,bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until your lentils are tender. You can serve as-is for a more traditional soup or make it Italian by adding some pasta… (Come on,make it Italian…you know you want to!!)
In a separate pot,cook your pasta. I like to use spaghetti and break it in quarters for this dish because that’s the way mom used to do it for our family growing up (and mom is always right…right?) Once your spaghetti is cooked to your liking,add it to your lentils,give it a stir and your done! Serve with grated parmigiano or romano cheese. Enjoy and buon appetito!
Simple and delicious! What could be better?
I totally vote for the pasta. And will add the pork from leftover pork chops to the dish. In the end,it all turns Italian.
Oh! And bundle up –you have far more snow than Minnesota. Snowmgeddon is what I’ve been hearing on Facebook.
easy and delicious,warms you up on these frigid nights.
yummo …I MAKE IT ALMOST THE SAME…JUST AT THE END…FRY SOME CHOPPED GARLING IN EVVO AND TOP IT OFF..JUST BEFORE SERVING….OMG..ITS JUST THE BEST ISNT IT…I ALWAYS HAVE BAGS OF BEANS ON HAND…JUST INCASE A COLD WINTER NITES DINNER…LOVE THE SITE BTW…PAULA
My mom always served it with broken spaghetti too!
That sounds like lunch to me!
Miss your posts Sally!
there’s something about that broken spaghetti isn’t there Food Hunter?
Thanks for visiting Paula.
That’s right E…and there have been plenty of them.
I don’t know Claudia…we have about 2 inches (we skirted this last one too) and the last time I came through the twin cities on a flight it was -8 degrees and it was noon!
Imani…the only way it could be better is if someone made it for me and then cleaned up too!:)
I just made a version of this recipe last night. I used cubed pancetta,and some of the rendered fat was used to sweat the onions and garlic. (It’s also awesome with crumbled sausage meat). I decided to use potatoes instead of the pasta because I had to use them up. A sprig of fresh rosemary also lends a wonderful herbal essence but I didn’t have any. Whichever way you make it,è molto delizioso!
You bring over the soup and I’ll have that focaccia ready! (and boy are you guys really getting whipped by old man winter)
I’ve never had this,Joe,and I’ve been looking for recipes I can make that 1) are easy 2) warm and 3) use ingredients I usually have at home.
Thanks!
I like mom’s recipe,the addition of pasta!!
We’ll be trying this tasty version. Foe some odd reason the title of your blog dropped off my reader widget. I had to delete it and re install it. Odd. I got my book from Amazon.com with out paying anything to the dreaded dogana. That makes the gift certificate from the 7 Fishes feast all the more sweet. Thanks so much Joe. It really is a treat.
Mom is always right,Joe. Your soup looks wonderful;funny,I am eating a bowl of my lentil soup with orzo as I write this! You’re right about winter,it’s snowing here and there’s nothing better than staying warm in winter with a nice bowl of comforting soup.
This soup sounds delicious,specially in this cold weather
Love it,Joe. And I love your new banner too. The snow over there sounds crazy –this soup will certainly keep you warm. Best wishes,Sally
This dish looks amazing! I’m starving now.
Me and my friend were arguing about an issue similar to that! Nowadays I know that I was perfect. lol! Thanks for the information you post.
A little Tubettini,a bit of chopped up ham and a slab of real italian bread makes for a trip back to Grandma’s magic kitchen.
Thanks,Jim