hearty italian lentil soup

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 cup lentils
• 1 1/3 quarts water, divided
• 2/3 cup uncooked long grain white rice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons italian bread crumbs
• salt, to taste
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 quart tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese for topping

Recipe

Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ready Time: 1 hr 45 mins


• place lentils in a pot with 3 cups water. bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes or until tender. drain and set aside.
• bring rice and 1 1/3 cup water to boil in a pot. reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. in a bowl, combine the ground beef, beaten egg, garlic, 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, parsley, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. form ground beef mixture into 1 inch balls. place meatballs in skillet and cook 5 minutes or until evenly brown.
• in a large pot, bring the tomato sauce and 4 cups water to a boil. transfer the browned meatballs to the pot. mix in cooked lentils and rice. return to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes. sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese to serve.