Aunt Susie’s Lentil Soup
My mom was one of eight siblings, and my dad was one of nine. Out of the combined 17 siblings, only one remains—my mom’s youngest sister, my Aunt Susie, who is now 90 years young. My mom and aunt were two of the sassiest Sicilian ladies you’d ever have the pleasure of knowing!
The two sisters, of course, had the Italian love of food. They were born with cooking in their DNA, and they cooked without recipes. It was natural and instinctual for them—who needs a recipe? They obviously talked about food together and compared notes because you could do a blind taste test and never be able to tell whose meatballs they were…or whose lasagna…or pasta fagioli…or Italian chicken cutlets. You get the idea.
There was, however, one soup they both made that was fairly different from each other’s. My mom’s lentil soup was loaded with sautéed garlic and had a can of tomato paste in it. My Aunt Susie makes hers with no garlic or tomato paste but with a variety of vegetables and simple seasonings. My daughter Sara actually prefers my aunt’s version. I love my aunt’s version as well, but it’s impossible to pick a favorite. I love whichever one I’m eating at the time the best. 🙂
I recently had a hankering for my aunt’s lentil soup. While I had a pretty good idea of how she makes it, I decided to give her a call to nail it down. I smiled through the whole call because, as expected, she described it in general terms.
“Put some water in a pot, add the lentils, a nice big onion, some carrots, some celery, some potatoes, a nice tomato. Add a chicken bouillon cube. If you want, add two cubes. Throw in some pasta and put some olive oil on top when you serve it.”
As I mentioned, who needs a recipe? You just make it!
Anyway, as I set about making it, I decided to quantify the ingredients so that I could share it with you. I was very happy with the results, and I think you will be, too.
Here are the two sassy sisters—my Aunt Susie on the left and mom, Tina, on the right.
Aunt Susie’s Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 12 to 16 cups of water (depends on how thin or thick you like your soup—start with 12 cups)
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 to 3 ribs of celery, diced
- 1 lb. brown lentils
- 2 to 3 carrots, diced
- 2 medium red potatoes, diced
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- Salt to taste*
- 8 oz. small pasta such as tubettini, ditalini, or cut fideo—cooked separately
- Olive oil for drizzling when serving
*I added a little over a 1/2 tsp. of salt to the pot. Remember that the bouillon cubes add some salt, and you can always add salt to your individual bowls.
Notes
You don’t have to be limited to the vegetables I’ve listed above as ingredients. Some zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, or cauliflower would make nice additions. Quantities up to you!
I never soak lentils overnight because they cook very quickly.
Directions
Start out with 12 cups of water added to a large stockpot and bring it to a boil. Add the 2 chicken bouillon cubes.
I like to add the onion and celery next to give them a head start as they take longer to soften than the other vegetables.
Add the lentils to the pot. Next, add the carrots and potatoes, followed by the tomato. Add the pepper and salt to taste.
Adjust the heat so that the soup maintains a lively simmer. Cook for approximately 45 minutes or until the lentils and vegetables are soft.
Cook whatever pasta you’ve chosen separately according to directions. I like my pasta al dente, especially because it will be added to the hot soup. Having said that, I do not add the pasta to the pot but rather to the individual bowls of soup. Whenever a soup calls for pasta, I always keep the pasta separate because it tends to get overly soft or downright mushy when added to the pot of soup. This way, it also allows people to have more or less pasta (or even none) in their own bowls. I like lots of pasta in my bowl, but my husband prefers just a little. So, this approach works out very well.
To serve, ladle up some soup and add whatever amount of pasta you like (or none at all). Drizzle a dollop of olive oil over the top and enjoy! (Some nice crusty bread and/or a salad would make a great accompaniment.)
Source: A family recipe from my Aunt Susie