Lentil Vegetable Soup

By KatKD

Ingredients

• Sorry, this soup takes 2 pots…
• 1 quart chicken stock (or 2 14.5-oz cans) – or more as needed
• ⅓ cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1-2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 small zucchini, ½ inch dice
• 1 small yellow squash, ½ inch dice
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 4-6 small potatoes, ½ inch dice
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 T olive oil
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1# chicken breast, cut in bite-size pieces
• 1 T Herbes de Provence
• Salt
• Pepper

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

In a heavy medium-size saucepan, heat the olive oil. Sauté the carrots, garlic, onion, bell pepper, and celery for about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, squash, and Herbes de Provence and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

In a soup pot, bring the chicken broth to boiling and add the lentils. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add sautéed vegetables, potatoes, and tomatoes. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken breast and simmer for 20 minutes more, to cook the chicken. Taste and adjust seasonings.


Variation: use low fat ham or low fat smoked sausage in place of chicken. Total cooking time remains at 50-60 minutes to properly cook the lentils. Substitute ¼ orzo for the lentils, or just add orzo.