Hearty Italian Lentil Soup

• 1 cup lentils
• 1 1/3 quarts water, divided
• 2/3 cup uncooked long grain white rice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs
• salt, to taste
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 quart tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

1. Place lentils in a pot with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Bring rice and 1 1/3 cup water to boil in a pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, combine the ground beef, beaten egg, garlic, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, parsley, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Form ground beef mixture into 1 inch balls. Place meatballs in skillet and cook 5 minutes or until evenly brown.
4. In a large pot, bring the tomato sauce and 4 cups water to a boil. Transfer the browned meatballs to the pot. Mix in cooked lentils and rice. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese to serve.

lentils, water, long grain white rice, vegetable oil, ground beef, egg, garlic, parmesan cheese, parsley, italian bread crumbs, salt, ground black pepper, tomato sauce, parmesan cheese

Taken from www.allrecipes.com/recipe/126007/hearty-italian-lentil-soup/ (may not work)