lentil soup

difficulty: patience required
yum factor: 5/5 stars
price: less than $12

ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled & chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
1 lb lentils uncooked
11 cups low-salt chicken broth
4-6 sprigs thyme
2/3 cups dried pastina pasta (tiny pastas. ABC ones count).

other stuff you'll need:
veggie peeler
knife
cutting board
giant pot with lid
measuring cup/spoons

directions:

heat the oil in a large pot set to medium heat. add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper and saute for about 5-8 minutes. add one cup of water to the pot. add the lentils and mix it all around. make sure the lentils are coated in water and keep stirring to be sure they're not stuck to the bottom of the pot.

add the broth and stir. add the thyme and crank the stove up to high. let it boil for about 3 minutes (stirring still), then cover and simmer on low heat until the lentils are almost tender. this usually takes about 30 minutes. once the lentils are cooked, turn the heat to medium, stir in the pastina and wait until that cooks. keep stirring to make sure nothing sticks. add salt/pepper if you feel it needs it.

serve.