Lentil Soup

Recipe Source : Giada De Laurentis : Everyday Italian, Food Network
It has been raining cats and dogs here, just the weather for some soup. I had seen this soup on the show "Everyday Italian" (love the show) and had been wanting to try it for quite some time. I had to modify this recipe a little since I was out of a couple of ingredients, but the end result was delicious. Vegetables, Lentil and Pasta make this a wholesome and hearty soup.

1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/4 cup Lentils (I used 1 cup whole masoor dal)
11 cups low salt chicken broth (I used 9 cups water)
4-6 fresh Thyme sprigs (I used 1 tsp dried Thyme)
2/3 cup elbow pasta (I used a handful of spaghetti and broke it to small pieces)
1 (14 1/2 oz) can dice tomatoes (I used 2 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup Parmesan Cheese (I used a 1/2 cup of 3 blend Mexican cheese)
Oil

Heat oil in a pot and add the onion, carrots and celery. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook till all the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer till the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally. Add the lentils and mix well. Add the broth and thyme. Bring to boil over high heat. Cover and simmer on low heat until the lentils are tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Stir in the Pasta. Simmer until the pasta has been cooked al dente. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into the bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy !!