Healthy Winter Vegetable Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 cup celery leaves
• 3 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 100 g red lentils (or fagioli) or 100 g borlotti beans (or fagioli) or 100 g butter beans (or fagioli)
• 500 ml vegetable stock (preferably non salty) or 500 ml chicken stock (preferably non salty)
• 400 g chopped tomatoes (tinned or self-prepared)
• 1 tablespoon mixed herbs
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)

1. In a pot, place olive oil on a high heat, allow to heat up and then add the crushed garlic and the chopped onions.
2. Turn to a medium heat.
3. Stir until soft, but not brown.
4. Add carrots, celery (NOT LEAVES!
5. ), lentils/beans and cherry tomatoes and stir in, allowing to absorb all the flavours.
6. After about 3-5 minutes stirring, allowing the flavours to blend together and the ingredients to soften slightly, add the vegetable stock.
7. I usually crush the stock cube, or sprinkle the stock powder over the vegetables and THEN add the water, but everybody will probably do this differently.
8. Stir again and place a lid over the pot.
9. Allow to simmer for 10-20 minutes.
10. Add tinned chop tomatoes.
11. Stir, and allow to reduce with the lid removed for 5-10 minutes.
12. 10 minutes before serving, tear the celery leaves and stir them inches This will give a very pungent smell and will give the soup and exquisite taste.
13. Drizzle each portion with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and serve with chunky fresh bread or croutons.
14. Buon appetito!

olive oil, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, celery, tomatoes, red lentils, tomatoes, mixed herbs, salt, pepper

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/healthy-winter-vegetable-soup-272202 (may not work)