Ina Garten's Lentil Soup Is A Tasty Catch-All For Leftover Vegetables

We've all been guilty of over-buying veggies. Maybe you were overly ambitious with your menu for the week, or maybe the veggies lined up at the farmer's market stand just looked too good to pass up.

The good news is you do not have to let that produce wilt away in the crisper, since there are plenty of flexible recipes designed to incorporate whatever you have on hand. Our latest favorite is Ina Garten's recipe for French lentil soup.

Lentil soup may not appear to be one of the most exciting or appealing recipes at first glance, since it's usually touted for its health benefits. But the soup can not only be a great way to get a hearty serving of fiber, but it's also a perfect opportunity to use up any produce that is on its way out.

Garten's recipe, which comes from the "Barefoot Contessa Cookbook", features tons of veggies and is delicious as is — Garten even claims the recipe is one of make-up artist Bobbi Brown's favorites, via Food & Wine — but is also endlessly versatile. If you don't have carrots on hand, try parsnips. If you have a bag of spinach that's starting to wilt, add it in for the last few minutes of cooking, but there are plenty of possibilities.

The star of the show is the type of lentils used. The recipe calls for small, dark green Le Puy lentils, which are known for their firm texture and nutty flavor, compared with other lentil varieties. Garten suggests looking for French lentils at specialty shops.

In addition to the lentils, the traditional recipe calls for onions, leeks, carrots, celery, fresh thyme, tomato paste, red wine, stock, olive oil, and spices. Food writer Sarah Crowder shared some tips, via Food & Wine, after having the soup in her rotation for weeks.

Her first tip, as previously stated, is to use up your leftover veggies and change up the recipe to your liking. In addition, like many great chefs, she suggests adjusting the salt content. The recipe calls for one tablespoon, but depending on the stock or broth used, you may need less or more to taste. She also recommends swapping the chicken broth or stock for vegetables to make the recipe vegan — just make sure you omit the Parmesan cheese at the end, too.

Other pro tips include freezing the leftovers, since the recipe makes a big pot, and serving it with crusty bread or garlic croutons. Check out our tips for how to make torn croutons.