My mother and I started making lentil soup years ago from a recipe one of my sister-in-laws had given us. It was an easy and quick recipe for a hearty, satisfying soup the entire family loved.

During colder months I would make a big of lentil soup at once a week along with some homemade bread; the soup was hearty enough to make that a complete meal.

The original recipe called for Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix, but Mom and I no longer use that because of the MSG it contains. We have each gone off in slightly different directions with our recipes. She includes some fresh cut vegetables in hers, I have started adding chopped frozen spinach to mine … to mention just a couple of the changes. Homemade lentil soup was always one of my son's favorites ... and this rendition is one he loves to have any time he comes for a stay on the farm.

Here is my most recent evolution of my own recipe for a delicious and hearty lentil soup, the way I made it on Friday, the 13th of October 2006 as we witnessed a very early snow on our lovely farm.

Ingredients

• One package dry red lentils
• Two 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes (preferably Italian style with basil, oregano, and garlic)
• Two cans vegetable broth plus enough water to make eight cups of liquid
• 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsps. olive oil (give or take, depending on your pan and your taste)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 2 heaping tsps. chilli powder
• 1 pkg. chopped frozen spinach, thawed
• One 4-oz. can Ortega chillies*, chopped coarsely (*yummy, but optional)

Directions

Bring lentils with tomatoes and vegetable broth to a boil in a large soup pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop onion and mince garlic; saute gently in olive oil just until translucent.

Add onions and garlic to soup pot along with cumin and chilli powder.

Continue cooking for 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Add thawed spinach and Ortega chillies; cook another 10 minutes or so.

Serve with corn bread or other hearty bread. This soup is also very good with fresh, grated parmesean cheese sprinkled on top.

If cooking in a crock pot slow cooker, cook on low for eight hours or cook on high for four hours. In either case, make sure the lentils are tender before serving. I have also noticed that you need the full eight cups of liquid whether you cook this on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.

This is a very thick soup, in fact my husband sometimes refers to it as a stew. If you prefer more broth in your soup, you could add extra broth or water, but my suggestion is to first try the recipe as-is and then adjust it subsequently to suit your preferences.