Foody Friday - Hearty Lentil Soup

A friend of mine gave me this recipe a couple weeks ago. She and her husband are on a gluten free, dairy free and sugar free diet (Whew, can you imagine!) and this is a dish they fix quite often. I haven't eaten lentils much but I really enjoyed fixing this soup because the lentils didn't require soaking overnight or a long cooking time. 

Hearty Lentil Soup

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove

2 T butter

6 cups of water

1 can diced tomatoes

3/4 c. dry lentils, rinsed

3/4 c. pearl barley

2 T chicken bouillon

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/2 dried rosemary

1/4 t. pepper

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

In a soup kettle, saute celery, onion, and garlic in butter until tender. Add water, tomatoes, lentils, barley, bouillon, oregano, rosemary and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until lentils and barley are tender. Add carrots, simmer for 15 minutes or until all is tender. 

I couldn't find barley at my little grocery so I doubled up on the lentils. Besides, I've never been a fan of barley soup and it turned out just fine without it. The directions said add the carrots last but I they weren't quite cooked through so next time I'll saute the carrots with the celery. The boys loved the soup, surprisingly!