Veggie Lentil Soup

Veggie Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 rib of celery, diced
4 ounces of spinach (fresh or frozen)
1 cup par-cooked lentils
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried dill
salt & pepper to taste
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups V-8 juice (plain tomato juice or even tomato sauce would work)

Directions:
Saute the vegs in the olive oil over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until slightly softened before adding in all spices and continuing to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Pour in the veg stock and V-8 juice, reduce heat to low, add the *par-cooked lentils and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Enjoy!

*For the par-cooked lentils, in a separate pot, boil 1/4 cup of lentils with 1 cup of water for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to low and simmer for another 15 minutes. The lentils won't be completely cooked at this point, but they should be not quite al dente. Better yet, if you make a pot of lentils and have leftover, just toss those into the soup at the last minute.