Quick Rosemary Lentil Stew
With the weather getting colder recently, I have been craving my husband's vegetable soup. Unfortunately, the pantry is starting to run low and I didn't have any cooked chickpeas. So, I decided to change it up a bit and kind of mix two of our favorites, lentil stew and vegetable soup.
With two growing boys in the house and two people, that we know of, with food restrictions, I always try to keep a stocked pantry and freezer with quick fixes for dinner. I recently discovered how great lentils are for a quick tasty protein in our soups and stews. These little nuggets of goodness are loaded with protein and fiber, which are so important with all the tummy issues we have around here! I normally soak beans, pressure cook them and then freeze them for later use. Since I did not have any frozen beans on hand, lentils were perfect for this stew. I was also out of canned tomatoes, but I have quite a few jars of pasta sauce sitting in the pantry waiting to be used. So, with a few bags of frozen vegetables in the freezer, I was set for a hearty lentil stew.
The soup was perfect for the cool fall evening and it was really easy to make. I loaded it with frozen vegetables and lentils so it was quick to come together and cooked while I baked some bread. This was the meal I was waiting for all week!