Lentil Soup (Zuppa di Lenticchie)
This is a protein packed and delicious soup that is amazing alone but also with pasta. My favorite type of pasta with this is Pasta Mista. I love having this soup on my winter rotation. It’s so easy and it freezes well. What I usually do is make a pound of Lentils and freeze half for another time.
This is also served for good luck for New Year’s with an Italian sausage called Cotechino. The tradition dates back to Roman times where it was believed that the lentils symbolize coins that will bring wealth and abundance for the coming year.
Lentil Soup (Zuppa di Lenticchie)
Ingredients
- 1 lb Dry Lentils
- 2 oz Pancetta, diced
- 2 Carrots diced
- 2 Celery Stalks diced
- 1/2 Onion diced
- 1 Tomato diced or a few hand crushed canned San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 Garlic cloves left whole
- 8 cups Water
- Pepper to taste
- 1/2 tbsp Salt
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- **Optional** Rind of Parmigiano
Instructions
- Start by washing and draining the lentils.
- Into a medium sized pot, add olive oil. Add pancetta and render for a few minutes. Add carrots, celery, onion and tomato and saute until soft. Add lentils and stir to combine. Add in the water, garlic clove, parmigiano rind and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir the mixture and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the flame to low medium, cover vented and simmer from 20-25 mins or until the lentils are tender.
- This can also be served as a pasta dish by boiling Ditalini or Pasta Mista and adding to the lentils. Top with grated Pecorino Romano. I love it this way!
- If you are serving it with Cotechino, the sausage comes precooked and just needs to be gently warmed up by being submerged in boiling for 1 hour.
