Lentil soup for picky eaters

Lentil soup for picky eaters

When my brother's children were little and he was cooking for them he would make 

 "disappeared onion macaroni".  He didn't want to lie to them.  Isn't that cute!

Ingredients 

6 cups                                                           Liquid ( I used ham cooking water)

2 cups                                                           Lentils 

1                                                                    Diced carrot 

1/4 cup                                                         Diced fennel

2                                                                    Onion, cut very finely (Scott was not in the kitchen)

2                                                                    Leafy part of a celery, cut very finely (no Scott around)

A handful                                                   String beans

1                                                                    Garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup                                                         Diced ham

Directions 

Saute the carrots in a little bit of oil for about 5 minutes then add fennel, onion, celery and garlic. Deglaze with a little bit of the liquid you are using, scrape the brown bits then add the remaining ingredients. 

Bring to a boil then reduce to medium low, cover and let cook for at least 15 minutes or to desired donness. 

I am not as honest as my brother.   I lied to my husband,  he asked me : " Is there onion in there?" I said : "No, no, that's fennel and garlic".  Well , that's for a noble cause, my husband is more fussy than my young nieces and nephews. 

Don't give up on your picky eaters, cook it à la them and bon appétit! 

January 2022 update:

To make it vegan I would leave out the ham and flavor it with vegetable base and maybe a little bit of olive juice for brinnyness and tanginess.   Let me know if you try it.