Easy Italian Lucky Lentil Soup - New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day Meal

Main Meals#lentilsoup #nyemeal #newyearseve

Easy Italian Lucky Lentil Soup - New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day Meal

This healthy meal can be ready to serve in approximately 40 minutes, including preparation of the vegetables. Lentils are traditionally eaten as a dish or a side dish (all depending on how it’s prepared). Due to the many different regions of Italy 🇮🇹, there are many ways to prepare this New Year meal.

Lentils symbolize little coins, representing good luck (meaning loose change) and prosperity. Leafy greens symbolize green dollar bills (cha ching) 💵 !

Sausages or cotechino (which is an extremely fatty seasoned pork sausage) symbolizes an abundance of food, health and spiritual strength for the entire year.

Eating them all together represents life’s fullness and richness throughout the New Year.

TIP: This is a perfect comfort meal to be served any cold winter’s night !

INGREDIENTS: 8 - 10 Servings

3 jars of homemade veggie broth - 30 ozs. EACH (900 ml EACH) *** you can also use store bought vegetable broth ***

2 cans of lentils- 18 ozs. EACH (540 ml EACH)

9 ozs. (250 g) Pepe Bucato (OR your choice of tiny round pasta)

3-4 medium size carrots 🥕 (sliced)

3-4 stems of celery (sliced)

1 bunched stack of Swiss Chard (roughly chopped) OR your choice of leafy green

4-5 medium sized sausages (mild or spicy)

2 bay leaves 🍃

Couple of pinches of peperoncino (OPTIONAL)

Salt and black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1) Place the sausages in the freezer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. This makes it easier to slice the sausages into bite size pieces. DON’T FORGET TO REMOVE THE CASING BEFORE SLICING).

2) Rinse and chop the carrots 🥕, celery and Swiss chard. Rinse both cans of lentils, strain and set aside.

3) In a large pot, over medium/high heat, add the 3 jars of vegetable broth, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste, peperoncino and bring to a boil for a few minutes.

4) Add the sliced sausages and let cook for approximately 4-5 minutes. Then add

carrots and celery and let cook for 3-4 minutes. Time to remove the bay leaves.

NOTE: ADD WATER IF NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE COOKING PROCESS

5) Add the tiny pasta and cook 2-3 minutes before adding the lentils and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Time to add the Swiss chard and cook for 2-3 minutes.

6) Lastly, ladle in serving bowls and Enjoy …. Buon Appetito ! 😋