Italian Red Lentil Soup

I am so hung up on this Lentil Soup recipe right now. I am chronically anemic, always battling to get my RBC count up.

I have to find way to eat more iron. Lentils have a high iron cout BUT I have never been a big fan of lentil soup. As someone who’s constantly battling anemia, I've always been on the hunt for iron-rich foods that actually taste good. Lentils are a fantastic source of iron, but traditional lentil soup just wasn't cutting it for me. That's when I had a brilliant idea: combine the comforting flavors of pasta fagioli with the nutritional power of lentils.

One of my favorite soups is Pasta fagoli, so I decided to make a pasta fagoli style soup but with lentils rather than pasta, and it turned out fantastic! I will keep eating this even after my RBC count is up.

Italian Red Lentil Soup RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• 3 T Avocado oil

• 1 medium yellow onion –peeled and finely diced

• 2-3 large carrot – washed, finely diced

• 2-3 ribs celery – finely diced

• 3 cloves garlic – finely chopped

• 1 cup dried red lentils

• 1 Can of crushed tomatoes

• 5 ½ cups Water

• 2-3 T Better than bouillon, chicken

• 1 piece Parmesan rind – if you don't have one, just skip this

• 1 ½ t dried basil

• 1 ½ t dried oregano

• 1/4 t t dried rosemary

Instructions

1. Add oil to a large saucepan, and over medium heat, add the diced onion, carrot and celery and sauté gently for about 5 minutes until the vegetables soften and the onion becomes translucent. Stir occasionally.

2. Add the garlic and sauté for one minute. Then, add the remaining ingredients. 

3. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes, stirring regularly, until the lentils are cooked. If the soup is too thick, add a little extra stock.

4. Just before serving, add the chopped parsley and stir well. Ladle the soup into bowls, discarding the parmesan rind. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with grated Parmesan.