Hearty Italian Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils
• 1.33 quartss water , divided
• 0.67 cups 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
• 0.25 cups grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Instructions

1. 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. 2

   Bring rice and 1 1/3 cup water to boil in a pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. 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. 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.