1-2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
3/4 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup carrots, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups dried lentils
2 1/2 cups veggie broth
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
dash cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Saute veggies in oil about 10 minutes in large pot.
2. Add lentils and water (or broth), bay leaf, cloves, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer about 2 hours. Remove bay leaf and cloves.
You can eat immediately. This gets better in the fridge overnight. If you overstir or overcok it, the lentils will break into a mush so be careful.
Source of recipe: This is my mom's recipe for lentil soup.