Soups on!

I mentioned on the post about lists, that I had made a lentil soup. I've had several requests for the recipe, so here it is: I'm getting hungry just thinking about writing it down...

Acorn Squash and Lentil Soup

Serves 12 (well, Ron and I ate 2 1/2 meals off this. He ate 3 bowls the first night...and I took a small bowl to school for lunch the next day... and then we had it again for dinner...and then I cleaned the pan. So, 12 servings? Well, maybe, but maybe not!)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups red or green lentils (I used regular brown ones from Safeway)
4 medium acorn squash, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes (I used 2 large ones...next time I'll probably use 3)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ounce lean bacon cooked crisp, drained, and crumbled (Shoot, why so little bacon? We used about 5 slices the first night!)

1. In a large stockpot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and saute for 7-8 minutes. The vegetables should be soft but not browned.
2. Add to this, 4 cups of chicken broth and the lentils. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Add the squash and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until the squash and lentils are thoroughly cooked. Add the remaining cup of broth if the soup seems too thick. (I did...actually I think I added 2 more cups of broth!) Season to taste with additional thyme (I didn't), salt and pepper. (I did)
4. To serve, ladle into warm bowls (my bowls were fresh out of the cabinet!) and garnish (I just threw them on) with the bacon.

(Just in case you wanted to know: 163 calories, 25 g carb, 10 g protein, 4 mg chol and 3 g/15% fat.)

Cornbread would be delicious with this...but I made Oatmeal Knots from Cooking Light...oh my gosh, they are DELICIOUS. Like I said on the post about lists, Ron ate 5 of the rolls - although one was for my mother, so I guess it didn't count.