Lentil Soup

Our Halloween sopa! This soup is perfect for the brisk Autumn weather! I got it from the Joy of Cooking, and just doctored it up a little.  I love to make a giant pot of it and then portion it out for lunch each day for the week. I swear it gets better the longer it sits and melds together! By the last day it's DIVINE!!!

Joy of Cooking for Halloween!

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 medium celery ribs, diced
• 1 lg onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 slices of bacon, diced (I buy the applewood smoked bacon pieces from Trader Joes)
• 2 cups dired lentils, rinsed
• 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 8 cups water
• 1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp. salt (only use 1 tsp. if your using bacon)
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 lg potato, peeled and diced
• 6 ounces smoke chorizo or kielbasa, sliced
• addition 1/2 cup water if adding sausage
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

This bacon from Trader Joe's adds the BEST flavor!

Preparation

1. Chop and dice all your veggies and whatnot

Yin-Yang Carrots and Celery!

2. Add and cook, stirring, until the veggies are tender but not browned (5-10 min) carrots, celery,onion,garlic, and bacon.

This part smell DELISH!

3. Stir in lentils, tomatoes, thyme, and 8 cups of water

4. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the lentils are tender, 30 to 45 minutes

5. After the lentils have been  cooking for 30 min, add the potato and sweet potato

Drinking Sierra Nevada Torpedo helps in the cooking process!

Mom totally agrees!

6. After the potatoes have been cooking for 10 min. add the chorizo or kielbasa and the additional 1/2 cup of water. 

Kielbasa!

7. Simmer until the potatoes are tender and the sausage is just heated through, about 5 minutes!

YUM!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!