15-Minute Lentil Soup

When I found out that Jamie liked lentils, I became just a little excited. I can’t lie.   I am a big lentil fan, but know very few people that are. It was the perfect opportunity to try a new Martha Stewart recipe for 15-Minute Lentil Soup. And since Jamie jokingly complains that she has gained, ahem, a few pounds since she started coming here a little over a year ago, I felt it only right to offset the cookies and other sweet treats with something hearty and healthy. It’s fair.

This recipe came from Martha’s Everyday Food magazine. Between this and the meatloaf yesterday, it’s quickly turning into Martha’s week here. Each serving has 281 calories, 5.7 grams of fat, over 19 grams of protein and 16.8 grams of fiber. It’s definitely soup you can feel good about eating, and given the fact that Winter seems like it’s never going to leave us (seriously, snow again today?!), it will do right by you and warm you from the inside out.  It’s crazysimple to make and a guilt-free but tasty way to start off a dinner or be a nice, light lunch.

Project 365
February 16, 2010, Photo #46

Had company for dinner last night, and our guests brought a bunch of different desserts, including a jar full of pink M&Ms. Don’t you just love friends like that? Thank goodness these were the milk chocolate version.  My weakness is for the peanut butter ones.  If it had been those, I would surely have been in trouble.  Big time.

15-Minute Lentil Soup
Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food, October 2009

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
14.5 ounces low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
3/4 cup cooked lentils (from a 15-ounce can), rinsed and drained (this was hard to find, but finally located it in the Hispanic aisle of our grocery store)
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Add lentils and cook until soup thickens slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 1 (we got three lunch servings from it)

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