An Easy and Healthy Dinner

I don’t know about you, but I’m beat by the time I get home from work. I’m lucky that my husband does a lot (ok, most) of the cooking in our house these days. His schedule is more adaptable than mine, so that’s how it has shaken out. Still, I’ve done my share of cooking and even when he’s the cook I’m often the meal planner.

He’s kind of a meat and potatoes guy, and I’m more of a tomato-sauce loving girl. We usually meet in the middle on soups, which we both love. A hearty soup and a loaf of good bread and we’re all set for dinner. And, it couldn’t be easier or much less expensive.

So, how easy is this - make a nice lentil soup over the weekend or the night before and pick up a nice loaf of rustic bread to go with it? Absolutely NOTHING has to be cooked at the last minute. If your local markets don’t carry good breads, stock up on some kinds of flatbread (like whole wheat pita) and keep them in the freezer. Take out what you need for dinner and brush them very lightly with olive oil. Pop them into the oven to warm up while you heat the soup. Voila! Dinner!

Lentil Soup

1 lb. lentils
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
2 quarts broth or water (chicken or vegetable broth are good)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, lightly packed
Salt & pepper to taste

Carefully pick over the lentils to be sure that there are no pebbles in the bag. You don’t have to be TOO careful – it doesn’t often happen.

Rinse the lentils by putting them into a colander and running water over them.

Sauté the vegetables in the oil until the onion gets translucent.

Add the lentils and the broth and bring to a slow boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender (taste a bit to be sure). Add the spinach for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Variations:
Add ½ cup of chopped or shredded leftover meat (chicken, pork or beef) to this when nearly cooked.
Substitute other spring green instead of spinach.
Add 1 cup of peeled and chopped tomatoes (canned tomatoes work fine for this)
Use a stick blender to puree all or some of the soup
Add exotic spices such as cumin or coriander. Zip it up with hot sauce.

Special Equipment –
A large Dutch Oven (around 5-6 quarts) works very well for this. But any large stockpot will do.