Lentil & Vegetable Soup

Recipe: Lentil & Vegetable Soup小扁豆蔬菜汤

Serves: 2 - 3

Ingredients

Ingredients A ½ cup green lentil ½ TBSP olive oil 100g / ¼ yellow onion (finely chopped or diced) 250g tomatoes (diced) 35g / 1 stalk celery (thinly sliced) 100g / 1 carrot (thinly sliced) 1 bay leave 150g / 1 zucchini (thinly sliced) 60g / ½ cup long bean or french beans (cut into 2" sections) Ingredients B 1 tsp. paprika 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Ingredients C 2 TBSP tomato paste 2½ cup vegetable stock Seasonings salt pepper

Measurements: tsp. = teaspoon | TBSP = tablespoon

Preparation
1. Soak lentils in cold water for 2 to 4 hours then rinse and drain well.	2. Thinly slice celery, carrot and zucchini. Chop onion, cut beans into 2-inch sections and dice tomatoes.	3. Pour vegetable broth into a large bowl. Stir tomato paste into vegetable broth. Combine well and set aside.
4. Heat the oil in a medium stock pot. Saute onion over medium heat until tender, about 3 minutes.	5. Stir in ingredients B (paprika & oregano) and saute for another minute.	6. Add lentils and broth mixture C. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered.
7. Add celery, carrot, and bay leave. Bring to boil again.	8. Then reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes until soup has thickened.	9. Add beans, covered, continue simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Add zucchini, covered, continue simmer for 10-12 minutes, until vegetables are tender.	11. Remove bay leave from soup. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with crusty bread.