Chicken and Lentil Soup
This is a hearty, comforting lentil soup recipe with lots of added vegetables. A version of this recipe appears in our book, Eat, Laugh, Talk: The Family Dinner Playbook. It’s also a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken, but if you don’t have chicken, you can leave it out — the soup will still be delicious.
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bell peppers (I favor red, but you can use green), diced
- 4 medium carrots, sliced
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. dried thyme (optional)
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
- 28 oz. canned diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 cup canned pumpkin or butternut squash puree
- 3 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, saute the onion, celery, garlic and bell peppers in the olive oil until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the carrots, red pepper flakes, salt, thyme and basil and stir.
- Pour in the chicken stock and add the lentils. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and pumpkin or squash puree. Stir well and continue to simmer, uncovered, for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are very tender.
- Stir in the cooked chicken. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired; continue to cook gently until the chicken is warmed through.