There’s no denying that I’m on a soup kick this year! My husband and I are at an “in-between” stage right now where we are living with family while our first home is being built and there are a lot of limitations that everyone involved are faced with. First, living with three generations under one roof means three “families” with three different eating schedules/habits, all sharing one small kitchen. And second, even with two refrigerators and a stand-up freezer, storage space is limited.
Enter meal prepping and easy-to-freeze recipes!
It didn’t take long to settle in to a pattern of prepping as much of our weekly meals as we can on Sunday afternoon while family is out and about running errands and visiting friends. We chop veggies, trim meat, bake potatoes, and portion out snacks. That way we get home from work and we can heat up our dinner in the microwave while my parents or grandfather cook their dinner on the stove. My favorite perk of meal prep? Grab and go lunches.
This week I decided that another soup was in order – protein packed lentil soup! Portioned into mason jars, it was easy to grab on my way out the door in the morning, toss in the microwave in the afternoon, and leave me full until late afternoon.
What You’ll Need…
- 2 quarts low-sodium vegetable stock or broth
- 1/2 lb lentils
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- generous amount of fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
- olive oil
What To Do…
- Bring vegetable stock/broth to a simmer and stir in lentils
- Heat oil in skillet. Add onion, garlic, celery, and carrot. Cook until tender (3-5 min).
- Add parsley and tomatoes. Stir and let simmer for a few more minutes.
- Once lentils have started to soften (approximately 35 minutes), stir in vegetable mixture and cover for 5-10 more minutes or until lentils are completely soft.
- Eat immediately or portion into jars, cool, and store for later. Note: Lentils freeze very well so you can double the batch and freeze some for that winter day that we all know is coming when you just don’t feel like cooking.
Play around with seasoning! Do you love smokey flavors? Add some smoked paprika! Or go with a traditional Italian seasoning. As always, make it your own!
