Lentil And Pasta Soup Recipes

LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

LENTIL AND PASTA STEW

Steps:

• Brown kielbasa in oil and butter in a large skillet. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. Cook and stir for 3 minutes over medium heat. Transfer to a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the broth, lentils, tomatoes, bay leaf, pepper and salt., Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until lentils are tender. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Stir pasta into slow cooker. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle servings with cheese.

LENTIL, PASTA & VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the prepared onion, garlic, carrot and celery, stirring gently, for 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
• Add the lentils, stock and boiling water. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir and bring back to the boil.
• Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes until the lentils are completely tender.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring another saucepan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain well and set aside.
• Place the soup in a blender and process until smooth. Return to a saucepan and add the pasta.
• Bring back to a simmer and heat for 2-3 minutes until piping hot. Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt. Season if necessary.
• Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley. We also add a sprinkle of brewers yeast.
• Tip: Avoid boiling the soup once the yogurt has been added. Otherwise, it will separate and become watery, spoiling the appearance of the soup.

PASTA WITH LENTIL SOUP SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, but do not rinse, and return to pot. Stir in lentil soup and season with black pepper. Heat through and serve.

ITALIAN-STYLE LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, celery and carrot; cook and stir until crisp-tender., Stir in lentils, parsley, bouillon, pepper and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally., Stir in tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar and salt; heat through. Serve with cheese. Freeze option: Freeze cooled soup in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add a little water if necessary.

HEARTY ITALIAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Place lentils in a pot with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
• Bring rice and 1 1/3 cup water to boil in a pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, combine the ground beef, beaten egg, garlic, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, parsley, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Form ground beef mixture into 1 inch balls. Place meatballs in skillet and cook 5 minutes or until evenly brown.
• In a large pot, bring the tomato sauce and 4 cups water to a boil. Transfer the browned meatballs to the pot. Mix in cooked lentils and rice. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese to serve.

SOUP WITH LENTILS AND DITALINI PASTA

Steps:

• Heat the broth with the additional 2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the salt, several grinds of pepper, and the rinsed lentils. Return to a gentle boil, and cook, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender-add more hot water as needed.
• Taste, and add more salt to balance the pasta: stir in the ditalini and cook for 12 minutes or more, until the pasta is to your liking. Add hot water to thin the soup too, if necessary. Adjust the seasoning one last time, and serve right away in warm bowls, with freshly grated cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, and other garnishes (see page 60).

SLOW-COOKER LENTIL AND PASTA STEW

Steps:

• In 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix lentils, celery, bell pepper and broth.
• Cover; cook on Low heat setting 10 to 12 hours.
• Stir vegetable juice, pasta and thyme into stew. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 25 to 30 minutes longer or until pasta is tender.

WARM LENTIL SOUP WITH PANCETTA

Steps:

• Sauté pancetta in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain (do not clean pot). Spoon 1 tablespoon drippings into medium skillet and reserve.
• Add celery, onion, carrot, bacon, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme to remaining drippings in pot and sauté until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add lentils and stir 1 minute. Add 10 cups broth; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until lentils are soft, about 1 hour. Discard bay leaves and garlic. Using slotted spoon, transfer 2 cups lentils to small bowl; cover and reserve. Working in batches, puree remaining soup until almost smooth. Return to pot. Add cream and vinegar. Thin with more broth to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
• Reheat pancetta drippings in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions; sauté until wilted, about 1 minute.
• Divide soup among bowls. Spoon lentils in center of each bowl, dividing equally. Garnish with pancetta and green onions and serve.
• *Pancetta, Italian bacon cured in salt, is available at Italian markets, some specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets.