Yummy Lentil and White Bean Soup!

 January is the month that I empty the pantry, remove dated items and reorganize.  Is 2007 a bit on the old side?  Ha!  How did that get past me last year?  At Christmas Terry received a few seasonings and different types of pepper flakes.  The goal was to make space.  It finally dawned on me that I needed to put some shelves on the wall.  

I found a great unit that had depth and wide enough bottom that multiple or large items would fit.  You can see by the picture on the right that it was way past time to organize.  The pantry is an odd shape which has been part of the challenge. I do think this will work perfectly!

In the process of emptying the shelves, I found no less that four bags of lentils.  Which color would you like?  "smile". The quest began for a lentil soup recipe.  It really didn't take long to find a recipe that I knew was going to be delicious.  I was sold when I saw sun-dried tomatoes on the ingredient list!

It came together so quickly I kept trying to figure out what step I skipped!  Take a look at this yumminess!

Lentil and White Bean Soup
adapted from EatingWell

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 carrots, thinly sliced or chopped (about 1 cup)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp tomato paste

4 cups vegetable broth

1/2-1 cup water 

1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed

1 cup dry lentils (brown, green or black; or a mixture)

1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper (I subbed a sprinkle of Flatiron Four Pepper Blend...delicious)

1 Tbsp fresh thyme 

1 1/2 tsp red-wine vinegar

Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onions and carrots.  Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, 4-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute or two.  Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is evenly coated, about a minute.

Mix in the broth, beans, lentils, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Add the water in portions as needed.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high hear; reduce to medium to maintain a simmer.  Cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, 30-40 minutes. 

Remove from heat and stir in the thyme or dill.  

PRINTABLE RECIPE

We loved this soup!  I was sad to see the bottom of the pot!  It will definitely appear again.  It was much more filling than I thought.  It was great as lunch or dinner.