I (Amelia) don’t know how you all are feeling this Boxing Day, but I, for one, am very ready to move on from my holiday feasting. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolates and cinnamon rolls and cake and caramel and dairy and toffee and cookies and fudge and more cake and more chocolate and biscoff butter and oh my goodness I almost exploded from all of the food. Point being, do you need a break from decadence too? Great. We’ve got the recipe for you. 

This lentil soup is warm, simple, nourishing, and tasty - not to mention throw-your-leftover-ham-into-it-able. This is how we ended our happy holiday, and we hope you will, too. 

Of course, we had dessert right after. Because sometimes exploding is fun. 

LENTIL SOUP
Serves 8

•  1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 cups kohlrahbi, peeled and diced into ⅓-inch chunks (or use celery instead--just as good) 

• 1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into ⅓-inch chunks (we often just use baby carrots)

• 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled, smashed, and minced

• 1 14.5-ounce can tomatoes

• 2 14.5-ounce cans chicken or vegetable broth

• 3 cans water (just fill the empty tomato and broth cans with water and add to the soup pot)

• 2 teaspoons salt (plus more at the end, if necessary)

• 1-pound bag ordinary greenish brown lentils

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cup diced ham (or more or none or bacon) 

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 bunch fresh parsley, washed, stemmed, and chopped according to taste 

In a large soup pot, sauté the onion in vegetable oil over medium high heat for three to five minutes, stirring every minute or two. Add the carrots and kohlrabi (or celery) and sauté five minutes longer. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, for thirty seconds. Add the tomatoes, salt, broth, lentils, bay leaf, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer over low heat. Skim off and discard the brown foam. Simmer, covered, for 75 to 90 minutes, checking it every once in a while to make sure the simmer hasn’t turned into a boil and to skim off new foam if there’s a lot of it. When the lentils are tender, add the ham and let it heat in the soup for a few minutes. Just before serving, stir in the vinegar, add several grinds of fresh pepper, and taste to make sure the seasonings are right. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with parsley. 

What holiday goodies are you recovering from today? What did you enjoy?