What you need:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 pound lentils (approx. 1 1/4 cups)
- 11 cups low-salt chicken broth
- 4 to 6 fresh thyme springs
- 2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan
What you do:
Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery. Add garlic, salt and pepper then saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme springs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, add the dried pasta.
