Lentil soup #cook #cooking #recipe #pastatime #italy #food #lentilsoup #lentils

Lentil Soup

Every year, right at the start of the new year, Mama would put a big pot of lentil soup on the stove 🥣 Not because it was trendy. Not because it was light. But because it meant something ❤️

In our Italian home, lentils weren’t just lentils, they were coins. Tiny little promises of abundance, prosperity, and good fortune for the year ahead 🍀 The more lentils you ate, the more luck you were inviting in… and Mama made sure no one left the table without a full bowl. just in case 😉❤️

The house would slowly fill with that warm, comforting smell of onions, olive oil, and love simmering together ✨ No rushing. No measuring. Just Mama at the stove, starting the year the only way she knew how. by feeding her family 🤍

May this new year bring you full bowls, open hearts, and more blessings than you can count 🥖🥣🍀 From our family to yours. Happy New Year ❤️✨

Ingredients
• 1 lb dried lentils, soaked and rinsed
• 2 potatoes, small dice
• 3 celery stalks, small dice
• ½ onion, small dice
• 3 carrots, small dice
• 10 kale leaves, chopped
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 5 cups vegetable broth (or as needed)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Parsley, for garnish

Instructions
Soak lentils for 30 minutes, rinse, and set aside. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté onion, celery, and carrots; season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 3–4 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaf and cook over low heat for 2–4 minutes.

Stir in lentils and potatoes, season again, and add vegetable broth to cover. Simmer for 25–30 minutes, until lentils and potatoes are tender. Add kale during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, garnish with parsley, and serve warm with fresh bread.