VEGETABLE TOMATO LENTIL SOUP

At work we talk about recipes and food that we are considering making.  One colleague brings a wonderful looking vegetable lentil soup from time to time.  We have all admired her soup and she has shared the recipe with us along with samples one lunchtime.  I made it today and actually made it overnight using a crock pot.  Friday morning I started to soak the lentils and let them swell in the fridge for the day.  You are probably wondering why I soaked the lentils as they don't need to be soaked prior to cooking.  I soaked them in order to limit the amount of liquid they absorb while cooking.  If you only have a short time to get these lentils to soften up, soaking them ahead of cooking will definitely help.  Friday night I assembled all of the ingredients and added them to the slow cooker.  I also added some leftover cooked sausage (1 1/2 sausage) and a can of sliced mushrooms.  I didn't have any canned tomato soup in the pantry so I added a small can of tomato paste.  Because the tomato paste would provide a concentrated taste of tomatoes, I added two small frozen tomatoes instead of a large can of diced tomatoes.  I set the timer for nine hours before going to bed.  Upon waking up this morning, I smelled the wonderful flavours of this soup.  The chopped spinach was added for the last fifteen minutes of cooking time.

The soup has a great taste and will be consumed for lunches this week.

VEGETABLE TOMATO LENTIL SOUP

1 ½ tsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups chicken broth

1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes, diced

1 - 10 ounce can undiluted tomato soup

2 cups brown or green lentils (washed)

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 cups yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 ½ tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

¾ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2 cups packed fresh spinach, chopped

Soaking the lentils:

To reduce the amount of liquid that the lentils absorb while cooking, you can presoak them.  Put the two cups of lentils into a four cup measuring cup and fill it to the four cup level with water.  The lentils will swell to the top of the measuring cup.  Instead of keeping the lentils in the four cup measuring cup to absorb the water, I transferred them to a mixing bowl that was larger than a four cup measuring cup.  I was worried about the lentils flowing over the top but as I found out later, they will only swell up to the amount of liquid provided.  I let the lentils soak for the day as I made the soup overnight in the slow cooker.

Stove top option:

Sauté onions, celery and garlic in oil for three to four minutes.  Add remaining ingredients, except spinach.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add spinach and simmer for 15 more minutes.  Serves 8. 

Slow cooker option:

Add all of the ingredients except for the spinach to a 7 quart or larger slow cooker.  Cook for eight to nine hours on low temperature.  Add the chopped spinach and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.  Serves 8.

Recipe modified from Breasts of Friends.