After the Holiday Lentil Soup

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Our Cajun tradition is to make sure that nobody is hungry after our holiday meals.  This usually means too much leftovers!  Not a bad problem to have but we do get tired of them after the first day so I'm always thinking of ways to reinvent leftovers.  After Christmas this year, we had leftover baked ham, veggies from a veggie tray and some sliced pork roast with gravy.  

One of my favorite comforting recipes for reusing leftover pork is lentil soup.  The flavors go so well together.  We're having a little cold snap here in south Louisiana so soup is ideal!  I use red lentils because their flavor and color is so much brighter. I used dried herbs because I was just using what I had in the house so no need for a special trip to the  grocery.

Here's my lentil soup recipe:

After the Holiday Lentil Soup

1 package red lentils
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or any oil you prefer)
1 onion, diced
2 sprigs celery, diced
1/2 bell pepper (any color), diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 cup diced ham*
1 cup diced pork roast with gravy*
6 cups chicken broth**
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon vinegar (my Momma's secret ingredient)
Garnish:  fresh parsley and green onion tops

Heat a large soup pot and add the olive oil.  Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and carrots.  Cook until the onion turns brown around the edges.  Add the chicken broth and lentils and stir to keep the lentils from clumping together.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the lentils are tender and the soup is a little thickened.
*use any leftover meat that you have such as turkey, pot roast or chicken.
**You may need more water as it cooks to keep it from getting too thick.

Enjoy!

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