Save Money on Groceries March 16, 2009

You can save a lot of money on your grocery bill by buying lentils and making them for dinner once a week.  One 16 oz bag of dry, uncooked lentils costs less than $1 and it makes 2 dinners for a family of four.  Lentils are delicious and healthy and they are great for weight loss as well.  One cup of cooked lentils has 230 calories, 16 grams of dietary fiber and 18 grams of protein.  Lentils are high in fiber and iron too.

Here is my recipe for Lentil Soup:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup of chopped onion

2 chopped cloves of garlic

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Cups of  beef broth ( or one beef boullion cube and 2 cups of water)

3 cups of water

1 tsp salt (sea salt is great)

1 tsp black pepper

1 cup of dried lentils

1/2 cup of ditalini macaroni (or any small pasta)

Rinse and drain 1 cup of lentils, keep aside.

Add olive oil to medium soup pot, put heat on low.

Add chopped onion and raise heat to medium.

Cook chopped onion for 3 minutes and then add the garlic, oregano, parsley and red pepper flakes.

Cook for 30 seconds.

Add the broth and the water and the salt and pepper, raise heat to high and bring pot to a boil. 

Add the lentils, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the pasta, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Enjoy! This soup tastes great with some grated parmesean cheese on top.

(Serves 4)