Small Recipes...Lentil Stew

I had to try this recipe for a lentil soup using a hamburger mix recipe that was in “Betty Crocker Cooking for One".  Since I can or freeze my own hamburger mix, I used mine…the recipe for the mix was very similar.   We like tomatoes with hamburger, and although the mix uses tomato, I had a half pint of canned tomatoes in the freezer, so I substituted them for a cup of the water called for.  I also made it a little larger so I could serve two.  I do use red lentils that I keep in my pantry, which cook more quickly than the regular brown ones.  I keep diced celery and cooked mushrooms in the freezer too; so it didn’t take long to prep this recipe.

My husband thought that this was a “keeper”.   I was happy to have another good recipe to add to my “hamburger mix” repertoire.               

                               Lentil Stew

  1             cup  Canned tomatoes -- cut up

     1/2      cup  water

     1/4      cup  lentils -- uncooked

  1             tablespoon  parsley -- or 1 tsp. Italian seasoning

     3/4      cup  hamburger mix - half pint jar

  1             small  carrot -- sliced

  1             small stalk  celery -- sliced

  2             tablespoons  sliced mushroom

                 dash  salt

Heat tomatoes, water, lentils and parsley (or Italian seasoning) to boiling in 1 quart saucepan.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes (10 minutes for red lentils).

Stir in remaining ingredients.  Heat to boiling.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables and lentils are tender, 15-20 minutes.