Lentil Soup

From: Jessica Mladineo

Mike's favorite soup is lentil, so we make this quite a bit in the winter. Mike's mom used to make lentil soup all the time when he was a kid.

½ pound dry lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ smoked ham or sausage
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 chicken or beef bouillon
4 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Sort and rinse lentils. In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Stir in ham, onion, celery and garlic until tender. Add lentils and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender and soup gets thick. Add more hot water if necessary.

Serves 4