This is a very hearty soup. It becomes a meal if served with a green salad, and a piece of spelt bread, spread with a little almond butter. I make lentil soup almost every week and this is a little different from my basic recipe. Experiment with different varieties of lentils. For this version I used the little French style green lentils. I like them because they maintain their shape and stay solid.
Feel free to add other vegetables to this soup.

Minestrone Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 pieces if squash, zucchini or patty pan, diced
1 tomato, seeds removed, diced
1 medium potato, diced
1 cup of lentils
6 cups vegetable broth or water.
2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions and cook about three minutes. Add the celery, carrots, squash, tomato, potato. Stir and cook another three minutes. Add the lentils. Pour in the broth. Add the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower fire and simmer for one hour and fifteen minutes, it can cook longer if you prefer. I like topping the soup with a little bit of fresh parsley and a teaspoon of Parmesan cheese. I hope you enjoy this.