Recipe: Lentil Soup with Lamb Meatballs

Every Thursday on the Good Food blog we share a recipe from our archives. Today’s recipe, Lentil Soup Lebrun, was first shared with Good Food on February 21, 2004. It comes from Suzanne Dunaway’s book Rome at Home.

Take a look at the recipe, after the jump…

Serves 4 to 6

This recipe from Rico Lebrun-s widow, Constance, is a hearty dish for an informal dinner party, especially in winter. Serve a nice salad and dessert, and dinner is done.

1 package lentils

Cold water to cover 1″ above level of lentils

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 tsp salt

Fresh pepper

Tiny piece of bay leaf, about – inch

Meatballs

1 lb ground lamb

4 cloves garlic, minced

cup pine nuts

cup raisins

2 Tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano

Salt and pepper to taste

2 egg yolks or 1 egg

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4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cups beef or chicken stock

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1 – pounds fresh baby spinach leaves

4 cloves garlic, minced

Parmigiano-Reggiano

In a large soup pot, cook the lentils, onion, salt, pepper and bay leaf just until tender.

Meanwhile, combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs except the olive oil and stock in a large bowl and mix well. Form the meat into small 1-inch balls. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, add the meatballs and brown well for a few minutes. Add the stock and simmer on low until done, about 10 minutes.

Add the meatballs and all the stock to the cooked lentils, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

When the soup is hot, put a handful of fresh spinach in each soup plate and ladle the hot soup over it. This will cook it just enough to be interesting. Serve with a splash of olive oil and a little chopped fresh garlic in each bowl. Pass the extra Parmigiano-Reggiano.