Tomato Lentil Soup

From before I was born until I was 23, my grandmother and mother ran a small lunch spot on the Jersey shore. They only served lunch, and it was mostly soup, and pita stuffed sandwiches, along with some desserts and a variety of bottled drinks that I have rarely seen since (Joe Tea, where are you now?). But this is where I learned to make soup, one of the few things I can make now without the guidance of a recipe. The problem, of course, of learning to make soup in a luncheonette is that I only know how to make soup in restaurant style quantities. Inevitably, my husband and I will eat soup for a week straight for lunch, and I will still have a quart or two tucked in the freezer.


Yesterday, I finally found myself with a version of my tomato-vegetable lentil soup that is scaled down enough to share with the internet. You will have leftovers, and if you want to double it, you will also have two quarts in the freezer. But no matter how you decide to make it, you should make it. It is ridiculously easy, and if you’re the type that keeps lentils in the house, along with some vegetables in the freezer, you can through this together in under 30 minutes, Rachael Ray style (eh). It is inexpensive, simple, involves no chopping if you don’t want to, versatile, and so healthy and so good. We ate it for dinner last night with grilled cheese on homemade (!) bread (!) (we'll get to that) and it was the perfect dinner for this freaky Minnesota style weather New York seems to be having. And it was comforting while I bawled happy tears to the news coverage that 150+ passengers survived a crash landing in the Hudson River. Could yesterday have been any more miraculous?


Tomato Lentil Soup with Vegetables
¾ c. red lentils
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
Tsp of dried thyme
1 c. corn, frozen
1 c. peas, frozen (I use petite peas)
½ c. small pasta (acini de pepe, pastina, ditalini) *
Salt
Pepper


Optional: sriracha, parmesan, onion, potatoes, sweet potatoes, other vegetables


In a large pot (I use a 4 qt dutch oven), add the can of crushed tomatoes, refill the can with water, and add to the pot as well. Add lentils, corn, peas, and pasta, along with thyme, pepper, and lots of salt. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer until the lentils are cooked, and somewhat broken down, and the soup has thickened some. The pasta will have cooked in the water and tomatoes. If too thick, add more water as needed. Season with salt and pepper (generously—it will need a lot of salt).


Variations.
-Top the soup with grated cheese for a minestrone effect.
-Top with sriracha or your favorite hot sauce--sriracha is particularly outstanding.
-Add onion by sautéing it in the dutch oven with a little oil before adding the tomatoes.
-Add potatoes or sweet potatoes to the soup in a small dice with the other vegetables. Add a little more water since the potatoes will certainly thicken up the soup.
-Add any other vegetable that suits you. I’ve added cauliflower, celery, carrots—whatever you have around and feel like including.

*Lately I have been using a Harvest Grains mix I picked up at Trader Joes. It includes Israeli couscous, spinach orzo, red quinoa, and I think yellow split peas. It works great in this soup.