Bringing you another recipe that popped into my inbox today. If you haven’t signed up for the emails from the Brain Health Kitchen, do it now (there’s a link at the bottom of the page). This sounded so good I wanted to share this soup recipe with you.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more for serving
- 2 large garlic cloves thinly sliced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 8 cups vegetable chicken, or beef stock
- ¾ cup green lentils
- ¾ cup fregola Sarda whole wheat orzo, or other small whole-grain pasta
- 1 leaf large bunch of Italian parsley stems finely chopped and coarsely chopped (each should yield about 1 cup)
- ⅓ cup fresh tarragon finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chives finely chopped
- Pecorino cheese optional
- Lemon wedges
Directions
Warm the oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add the celery, fennel, onion, oregano, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables are soft, 8 to 12 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the liquid is almost completely reduced 2 to 4 minutes.Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and stir in the lentils, fregola Sarda, and parsley stems. Cook uncovered, stirring often to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot, at a low simmer until the lentils are tender and the pasta is al dente (soft but with a chewy bite), 20 to 30 minutes.Just before serving, stir in the parsley and any celery leaves, fennel fronds, tarragon, and chives. Grate or shave Pecorino atop (if using), and serve hot with lemon wedges on the side.Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. The soup will thicken as it sits; add water or broth when reheating and an additional handful of fresh herbs before serving.
Tips:
Substitute one 15-ounce can of cannellini beans (drained) for the lentils.
Include any variety of fresh herbs that you like.
