Lentil & Escarole Soup (Cook's Illustrated)

Name: Lentil & Escarole Soup (Cook's Illustrated)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 6 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 medium carrot, diced; 1 medium onion, finely diced; 1 celery, finely diced; 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons chopped parsley; 4 cups low sodium chicken broth; 3 cups water; 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can small diced tomatoes; 8 ounces brown lentils; 1 parmesan cheese, rind (about 2 inches by 4 inches); 2 bay leaves; 1 head escarole, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips (about 8 ounces); salt; pepper; parmesan cheese (to garnish)

Submitted by Twiggyann

"This was yummy! I wanted to try something new and decided on this and was glad I did. Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen seldom ever lets me down. I served this over large croutons I made from stale bread I had in the freezer by cutting it into large cubes and toasting/drying it out in the oven."

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photo by Twiggyann

Ready In:: 1hr 25mins
Ingredients:: 16
Serves:: 6

ingredients

¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 celery, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can small diced tomatoes
8 ounces brown lentils
1 parmesan cheese, rind (about 2 inches by 4 inches)
2 bay leaves
1 head escarole, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips (about 8 ounces)
salt
pepper
parmesan cheese (to garnish)

directions

Heat the olive oil in a 6 qt heavy sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat until it starts to shimmer.
Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, parsley and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook until the vegetables are soft and reduced -- about 15 -20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Increase the heat to medium high, add the broth, water, tomatoes, lentil, Parmesan rind & bay leaves and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour - 1 1/4 hours until the lentils are soft.
Stir in escarole and cook for about 5 minutes until wilted. Salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese.

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Reviews

Excellent soup! The only change I made was to add some scrambled Italian sausage and left out the tomatoes. Adding the escarole was new to me and a great idea. Will definitely use this recipe again. Thanks for sharing.

Marie

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Twiggyann

I've been married to my husband since Leap Day 1992. We met at Clark AB, Republic of the Philippines, at the terminal when we were both trying to get home on leave. Once we got back to Clark, it took a year before we started dating. We told all our friends that we weren't serious about one another. They told us we were. 4 years later, we found out they were right. Our food tastes couldn't have been more different. I grew up with bland foods since my mother never had been exposed to spicy foods. He loved HEAT. Slowly we've grown more alike in our food tastes but the day he ate a brussel sprout in front of me nearly ended our relationship. *laugh* He's retired from the Air Force, I got out after 4 years in, so we're both civilian again. We are the parents of 2 wonderful girls and a super handsome boy-- all dogs. In my spare time I knit and spin.

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