Nate’s recession soup

Nate made this soup last night.  I called it recession soup (its lentil with spinach) after we were scratching around in the cupboard looking for something to throw together. I figure it’ll cost you about $5 bucks and will make a huge pot. In the wee household of 2 this will go a long way… of course if your household is more like Grand Central Station, then you might want to make some toast to go with it.

Nate’s recession Lentil & Spinach soup

2 med onions chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 1/2 cups green lentils

2 vege boullion cubes (or meaty ones if you prefer)

1 32 oz can whole peeled tomatoes

1 bunch spinach, stems removed (that’s all we had, but you could add more)

spices: 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tsp paprika, splash balsamic, 4 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp celery salt (only if you have it), 1 tbsp vegemite, optional of course since I realize not all of you are going to have a tube of this on hand.

Saute onions and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil, dissolve stock cubes in 3 cups hot water, add lentils to pot, add stock and more water so that it covers the lentils by about 3 inches (sorry we weren’t more accurate than this), throw in the tomatoes, simmer for a bit, break up the tomatoes with a big wooden spoon, just for fun.  Add all the spices, simmer  bit more until lentils are soft to bite, add spinach, give it a good stir, add splash of balsamic and the last 2 tbsp olive oil and vegemite (if using) and then you’re probably done. Dig in with a big loaf of crusty bread.

ps. it’s kinda thick, which I like, but feel free to add more water to your desired consistency.