• Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
• Servings: 6-8
• Preparation Time: 15 minutes
• 1 16oz bag of Lentils
• 1 cup finely diced sweet onion
• ½ cup finely diced celery
• ½ cup finely chopped carrot
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 16 oz can of Italian Stewed Tomatoes chopped
• 3 cups of water
• 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. This recipe can be prepared on the stovetop or in the crock pot. I prefer the Crockpot because I can get it ready in the morning come back at days end with a crusty loaf of bread under my arm and Voila! Dinner is done…….
4. Prep the Lentils as per the package instructions.
5. Saute onion, celery, carrot and minced garlic in olive oil.
6. When tender, add cleaned & drained lentils.
7. Add tomatoes.
8. Add liquid.
10. Set Crockpot on low for 3-4 hours.
12. Top with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. Serve with a side salad and bread.

We recently took a trip out to California. We stopped at a restaurant called Pea Soup Andersen’s. They have been in the business of dishing up their homemade pea soup for over 85 years! That's a lot of soup. As much as we love Pea Soup, we wouldn't want to compete with Anderson's so here's our recipe for Lentil Soup with a touch of Italian.