Having one person that is vegetarian in our house doesn’t make meal planning difficult, usually. When there are four or more of us for dinner, I simply substitute the meat item with a non-meat protein, and everyone is happy. In fact, quite often I make two of the non-meat protein, as I enjoy a good number of vegetarian items.
The tricky times are when there are only three of us dining. It feels more cumbersome to make two different entrées for a party that small. Out of deference to our vegetarian, I make a meal that is vegetarian and (hopefully) will please all of us. Depending on which person makes the third in the party determines what route I will take.
We had a dinner for three the other week, and being a cold, windy day, I decided to make soup. In my opinion, soup lends itself to vegetarianism quite nicely, as it can be made hearty with the addition of legumes, root vegetables, or pasta. For this soup I chose lentils. Not only are they filling, but they need less prep time than most dried beans.
This lentil soup was a great way to warm us all with little effort.
- 1 cup red lentils
- water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- Place lentils in a medium-sized stockpot, cover with water, and allow to sit for one hour.
- Drain and set lentils aside.
- Heat olive oil in same pot over medium heat.
- Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add stock, 2 cups water, wine, tomato paste, carrots, celery, basil, and lentils.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Simmer for 1 hour.
- Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt or minced chives.
