Lentil and Pasta Soup

Lentil and Pasta Soup is one of the heartiest things I can think of to eat on a cold night. Yes, you can eat this soup year-round, but there is something special about Lentil and Pasta Soup when there is a nip in the air. And who knows, maybe it brings a little luck too?

My wife thinks this should be called a stew since it is so thick. She laughs and says that the judges on Chopped will call me out for describing it as Lentil and Pasta SOUP, not stew. Maybe someday I’ll be lucky enough to be on the show and find out.

Are Lentils A New Year’s Eve Tradition?

The inspiration for this recipe came from a Facebook site that I follow (and occasionally contribute to) called Italian Original Recipes, Customs and Culture. Many cultures have food traditions that are focused on the holidays. Italian culture seems to have this down to a science.

I have mentioned before that while I am not Italian, I did grow up in an Italian neighborhood so I tend to identify with a lot of these traditions. Certainly, the Christmas Feast of the Seven Fishes is one of the better known. I did not know about the lentils tradition and its connection to New Year’s Eve until just this year.

Sitting on the sofa, flipping through the Italian Original Recipes, Customs and Culture Facebook page on New Year Day. I see a question from a contributor asking “who made lentils for after midnight?” I ask myself, is that a thing? A little Google research and there you go, lentils are in fact an Italian tradition. How did I not know that?

Lentils, due to their coin like shape, are thought to bring luck and prosperity. Tradition would have them eaten as a new year’s midnight snack. Today, more likely as part of a New Year’s Day meal, helping to recharge after a big night of celebration.

Getting Tradition Onto One Plate

An authentic Italian New Year’s Eve menu would also include cotechino, a pork sausage with fat and spices. The richness of the sausage further signifies hope for a prosperous new year. This version adds ground pork flavored to remind one of fennel sausage. You can certainly substitute any kind of sausage you like, or none at all. The recipe will hold up to the modifications that work for you.

Pasta e fagioli, another Italian soup whose name means “pasta and beans” provides an influence to the choices that make their way into the pot. Pasta makes an appearance that brings substance and texture contrast. Small shells mimic the coin like shape of the lentils.

I also had the luck to have Slow Roasted Tomatoes on hand, pureed and used for the flavorful broth.

The contribution of a parmesan cheese rind in the broth adds mouthfeel we look for from fat (and that we crave after a big night). Since this is a soup that is made for a celebration, go ahead and add even more cheese at the table. Why not? A good celebration does not include counting calories.

Felice Anno Nuovo!

Lentil and Pasta Stew

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by Mark Michalski Course: SoupsCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

No matter if call you it a soup or a stew; lentils, pork, and pasta make for a hearty meal. I recommend serving with Garlic Bread on the side to sop up all the goodness.

Ingredients

• For the Ground Pork

• 2 TBSP 2 TBSP Olive Oil

• 1 LB 1 Ground Pork

• 1 TSP 1 Fennel Seeds

• 1 TSP 1 Crushed Red Pepper

• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

• For the Soup Base

• 2 TBSP 2 Olive Oil

• 1 1 Medium Onion (Chopped, about 1 Cup)

• 1 1 Carrot (Peeled and Chopped, about 1 Cup)

• 1 Stalk 1 Celery (Chopped, about 1 Cup)

• 2 Cloves 2 Garlic (Chopped, about a TBSP)

• 1 TBSP 1 Rosemary – Fresh (or 1 TSP Dried) (Chopped)

• 1 TBSP 1 Oregano- Fresh (or 1 TSP Dried) (Chopped)

• 1 TBSP 1 Thyme- Fresh (or 1 TSP Dried) (Chopped)

• 1 1 Bay Leaf

• 1/2 CUP 1/2 Red Wine (Pinot Noir or other hearty red wine)

• 4 CUPS 4 Tomato Puree (see Note 1)

• 1 QT 1 Chicken or Vegetable Stock

• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

• 1 CUP 1 Lentils (I used green, see photo)

• 1 1 Parmesan Cheese Rind (optional)

• For the Pasta

• 1 CUP 1 Small Pasta Shells (or other small soup pasta)

• 1 TBSP 1 Salt

• For Garnish

• Parmesan Cheese (optional)

• Parsley – Fresh (Chopped)

Process

• BROWN THE GROUND PORK
• Bring a good sized soup pot to medium-high heat. (I use a le Creuset #26 5.5 quart)
• Swirl olive oil into pan
• Add ground pork to the pan. (See note 2)
• Add fennel seed and red pepper, Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• When pork is nicely browned, strain off excess fat. Set aside.
• SWEAT THE AROMATICS
• Swirl olive oil into same pot and heat to medium heat.
• Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic to pot. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
• Continue cooking until the vegetables start to caramelize and just soften. Do not overcook or they will be mushy in the finished product. They will soften more as the soup simmers.
• Add the rosemary, oregano and thyme. Cook for about a minute.
• Pour in the red wine. Let the wine boil for a minute to remove the alcoholic taste.
• CREATE THE BROTH AND COOK THE LENTILS
• Add tomato puree, stock and bay leaf. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Season again with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Add optional parmesan rind to the pot.
• Add lentils.
• Add reserved browned ground pork to the pot.
• Continue to simmer for at least 30 to 40 minutes. The exact time will depend on the type of lentils you are using. Taste as you go along until the lentils are al dente, or to the tenderness you like. I prefer that they have a little “tooth” left in them.
• PAR COOK THE PASTA
• While the soup base above is simmering, par cook the pasta.
• Fill a pan with 2 quarts or so of water. Add enough salt to make the water “taste like the ocean”. About 1 tablespoon. (See note 3). Bring water to a boil.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook until the pasta is quite al dente. For the pasta that I used the package said to cook for 8 minutes, so I only cooked it for 6 minutes. It will complete the cooking process when you add it to the soup.
• When pasta is complete, pour off about 2 cups of the pasta water and set aside (you may need this to thin out the soup a little later). Then drain the pasta and add to pot with the soup base.
• FINAL ASSEMBLY
• Let simmer until the lentils and the pasta are to the tenderness you like. At least 10 more minutes. At this point, you may want to add some of the reserved pasta water to the soup if you think it is too thick. I usually end up adding at least a cup.
• Ladle soup until bowls to serve. Top with optional Parmesan cheese shavings and parsley. Enjoy.

Notes

• 1. I happened to use pureed Slow Roasted Tomatoes. I had them on hand. You can use canned if you like. I recommend starting with whole plum tomatoes and giving them a quick ride in the blender or food processor.
• 2. I like to put the pork in the hot pan and let it sit for a bit before I crumble it up. The minute or two cooking the pork undisturbed gives more of a chance to get a little crust on it. (See photo above)
• 3. I know it seems like a lot of salt for the amount of pasta you are cooking. You only get one chance to salt the pasta, and this is it. Like all the ingredients that go into this dish, they should taste good on their own. Adding a liberal amount of salt to the cooking water makes that happen.
• 4. This soup is actually best served after a day of sitting in the refrigerator. That is not to say a few bowls don’t get eaten the first day. This recipe also freezes great.