Description
Add extra broth when reheating if you want it to be a soup again.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried green lentils (Affiliate Link)
- 6 tbsp olive oil (Affiliate Link)
- 1/2 cup ham, cut into small cubes
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 stick celery, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 9 cups chicken broth
- 1/8 tsp dried sage
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme (Affiliate Link)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups Cavatelli pasta
- 1 10 oz box of frozen spinach
Instructions
- Clean and soak the lentils (Affiliate Link) for 20 minutes.
- Cook the frozen spinach, let it cool, and press to remove excess liquid. Then, set aside. Be sure to gather and prep all the ingredients. Cut 1/2 cup ham into small cubes. Then, finely chop one medium onion and set aside. Then, finely chop one celery stick. Now, Cut the carrot into finely chopped pieces.
- In a large cast iron dutch oven (Affiliate Link), heat the oil. Sauté the cubed ham for 2—3 minutes.
- Add the onion and cook gently until it softens. This will take about 5 minutes or less.
- Add in the celery and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring often.
- Add the cleaned and drained lentils (Affiliate Link) to the pot and stir to coat. You should have enough fat in the pot to coat the lentils (Affiliate Link) well.
- Pour in the broth and the dried herbs, and bring the soup to the boil. Cook over moderate heat for about 30-45 minutes or until the lentils (Affiliate Link) are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add pasta (gluten-free or regular) and cook it until it is done. Depending on the pasta brand, it can range from 8 minutes to 11 minutes.
- Now add the drained spinach and stir and cook for about 3 minutes. You can also use fresh super greens mix (4 cups) at this point too, if you don't have time to cook the frozen spinach.
- Allow the soup to stand for a few minutes before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 420.56 kcal
- Sugar: 8.2 g
- Sodium: 947.92 mg
- Fat: 16.61 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.29 g
- Trans Fat: 0.0 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.61 g
- Fiber: 5.04 g
- Protein: 19.86 g
- Cholesterol: 16.46 mg