Rainy Day Soup

It's raining again. I'm chilly in the apartment, but too stubborn to turn on the heat (we are still talking about Los Angeles here...it's not that cold). The roof is still leaking, though not as bad as it was during the last storm.

Nothing to do but make soup. Lentil soup is one of my standby recipes, since it cooks fast, is good for you, and I usually have stuff lying around to make it.

First off: the lentils. You'll need some dry lentils (I think I used about a cup and a half), and enough water/soup stock mix to cover them by an inch or two. Simmer until tender (about 30 minutes). Lentils don't need to be pre-soaked like most dried beans, so this part is easy.

I know, lentils cooking in a pot is not the most beautiful thing ever. Bear with me here.

While the lentils are cooking, I usually raid the fridge for bonus ingredients. This time I found some fresh spinach, some bacon bits, and leftover black beans and spicy taco chicken from last night's dinner. Score!

I like onions, so I chopped up about half of one and saute'd it separately in olive oil until they were carmelized. Yum.

When the lentils are tender, add the fridge raid stuff and the onions, and cook it all together for a few minutes, until the spinach is wilty. I also poured in a glug of salsa from the jar in the fridge to give it a bit more body and some tomato flavor. Salt and pepper to taste, and you're done!


Serve with a pinch of grated cheese and some crusty bread, or just eat it out of the pot with a big spoon. It's all good. This made about enough soup for 4-6 people, but leftovers freeze and reheat well, for future rainy days when you're feeling lazy.