Lentil Soup

5 from 1 vote

This lentil soup has so much great flavor from the bit of sun dried tomatoes and white wine. Vegan friendly and gluten-free.

Servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
3 carrots peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic chopped
6 sun dried tomatoes finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine optional
8 cups vegetable or chicken broth homemade or low sodium
2 cups lentils sorted and rinsed
3-4 sprigs fresh parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 large bay leaves
2 large handfuls baby spinach
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onions, celery and carrots just until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and the sun dried tomatoes. Continue sautéing for just a minute.
Raise the heat to high and add the white wine, if using. Reduce for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and the lentils.
With kitchen string, tie the parsley and thyme into a bouquet garni (basically, a bunch of herbs). Drop the bouquet garni into the pot with the bay leaves. Give it a stir. Once the pot comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and continue simmering.
After one hour, check the lentils for doneness. If you'd like them softer, they should only need another 10 minutes or so.
Remove the pot from the heat. Fish out the bouquet garni and bay leaves and discard.
Add the handfuls of spinach, give it a stir, cover the pot and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Finally, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the pot to give it a bright freshness.

Notes

If you have leftover ham or ham bone, add it in one large piece along with the garlic and tomatoes. Remove it entirely with the herbs. The ham adds a really nice depth of flavor, but it is not necessary.

My family sprinkles some grated Parmesan cheese on this soup. Just a little bit adds a nice buttery and nutty flavor.

Keep this vegan by using vegetable broth.