Greek Lentil Soup

Its October and it finally feels like fall in LA! Halloween is around the corner and we're in for a rainy and gloomy week. What's that mean? It's time to make soup! I've been using this Greek Lentil Soup recipe for a couple of years and loooove it! I got the original recipe from Allrecipes.com and changed a couple of things. Below is my recipe for Greek Lentil Soup, enjoy:

Ingredients: 

• 8 ounces brown lentils (1/2 a standard bag)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 piece of celery
• 1 quart Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 pinch dried oregano
• 1 pinch crushed dried rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 a ham steak 

**I make my life easier and buy a Maripox Mix (onion, celery, carrot) at Trader Joe's

Directions:

1. Place lentils in a large saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook for 10 minutes, then drain lentils into a strainer.
2. Dry saucepan, pour in olive oil, and place over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and carrot; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in lentils, 1 quart Chicken Stock, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaves. Cut the 1/2 ham steak in cubes and add it to the soup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in tomato paste and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until the lentils have softened, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional water if the soup becomes too thick.

                               

Enjoy!!