Green Lentil Soup (Yeşil Mercimek Çorbası)

I am not a big soup person, but every once in a while, I make soup. I decided to make this recipe when I was trying to put some lentils in a container after grocery shopping and the lentils did not fit the container. So I decided to make something with the lentils that did not make their way to the container using the ingredients on hand. It turned out very good. As most of you know lentils are rich in iron, calcium, zinc. It is a good source of protein that it can easily substitute for meat. This very nutritious grain is also high in fiber and known to help bowel irregularities and even reduce risks of some cancers. My favorite soup is red lentil soup which I will post here sometime in the future.

3 cups green lentils (soaked overnight)
½ yellow onion-finely chopped
2 small diced potatoes
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp tomato paste (optional)
1 tsp celery seed
2 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
6 cups of water

Sautee the chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are transparent. Add the lentils and sautee for 5 minutes. Add the diced potatoes, salt, pepper, tomato paste if desired and finally the water. Mix with a spoon to make sure the tomato paste is dissolved. Cook on high heat until the soup starts to boil, then turn the heat to low. Cook the soup on low heat for 1.5 hours or until the lentils are so soft that they melt in your mouth. Enjoy.