• knife or food processor
• Dutch oven or large stock pot
• wooden spoon
• small bowl
• rubber spatula

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 c onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 c vegetable stock
• 2/3 c brown lentils, rinsed
• 2 carrots, minced
• 2 stalks celery, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 oz tomato paste
• ¼ c fresh parsley, minced
• 1 T thyme, minced
• 1 T dill, minced
• 1 T tarragon, minced
• 1 t marjoram, minced
• ½ t pepper
• 28 oz tomatoes, chopped (with juice)
• salt

Increase to high heat, and add stock, lentils, carrots, celery, and bay leaf. Bring to boil, then cover pan and reduce heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about an hour, until everything is tender.

Meanwhile, combine tomato paste, herbs, and pepper, and set aside.

Remove bay leaf and add chopped tomatoes. Stir one cup of soup into tomato paste mixture until smooth, then add mixture back into the soup. Heat through, taste, and adjust seasoning.

The amounts given for herbs assume you are using fresh herbs (which I feel are infinitely preferable). If you use dried herbs, use one-fourth to one-third as much (e.g., instead of 1 T fresh use 1 t dried).

Adapted from A Beautiful Bowl of Soup: The best vegetarian recipes, by Paulette Mitchell.

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