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!