Italian-style lentil, tomato and vegetable soup

Ingredients

Amounts cover the whole recipe. One US cup is a 240 ml measuring volume, one tablespoon 15 ml and one teaspoon 5 ml. Can weights are before draining; metric conversions from the original are rounded.

Method

1. Pick through the lentils and rinse them in a sieve. Dice the onion, carrot and celery.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and stir for about 6–8 minutes, until the onion softens.
3. Pour in the stock. Add the tomatoes and their juice, lentils, parsley, pepper and Italian herbs, then stir.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
5. Cover and cook for about 45–60 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Check the consistency near the end and divide the soup into four servings.

Serving and variations

If your canned tomatoes already contain Italian herbs, omit the extra herb seasoning. Use 60 ml chopped fresh parsley instead of dried parsley if you prefer. Serve bread alongside for a larger meal; the stated yield covers the soup.

Meal prep and storage

Cool the soup in shallow individual containers. Freeze portions for later days. Stir during reheating and add a little water if the lentils have absorbed much of the liquid.

Cool cooked food quickly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Keep at 5°C or below and use within 48 hours. Freeze later portions on cooking day after cooling. Thaw in the fridge and eat within 24 hours. Reheat only once, until steaming hot throughout, and keep chilled during transport.