So here is a recipe that I came up with for vegetable soup one day when it occurred to me at lunch that I had completely forgotten to thaw soup for dinner. I had vegetable soup on the menu so that’s what I made (but trust me that doesn’t always happen.) This would also make an easy and healthy weeknight dinner. since you can get it on the table in under 45 min.

Ingredients:

  • 1 quart of my homemade chicken stock – if you don’t have any homemade stock you can use store-bought cans but homemade is so much better
  • 1 28 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 32 oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, green beans, and carrots)
  • 1 can of cannellini beans (This is just what I grabbed. You could use any kind of beans you want.) Also, feel free to use dried if you can plan ahead and prep them the night before. I would suggest 1 cup of dried navy beans as a substitute for 1 can of cannellini beans. **Update – since first posting this, I have made this soup with 1 cup dried kidney beans, prepped the night before, and it was great!
  • 1 cup of dried lentils
  • 3/4 TBSP sea salt – if you use chicken stock from the store, start with 1/2 tsp salt and add to taste. I don’t salt my stock when I make it, since I prefer to salt the dishes themselves when I make them.
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Rinse lentils well and then place them and 4 cups of cold water into a small pot and cover. Do not salt the water.
  2. Turn heat to medium-low and set a timer for 30 min. Once the water starts to boil reduce heat to low
  3. While the lentils are cooking, add the other ingredients to a large pot or dutch oven and turn heat to medium. Once boiling, turn heat to low and simmer until the lentils are done.
  4. Once the lentils are done, drain and rinse them. Then add them to the rest of the soup.
  5. Stir the soup to incorporate the lentils well.
  6. Serve warm with fresh bread and enjoy!
It’s a tasty dinner that you can feel good about when you come back for seconds (or thirds).