As we begin to leave the heat of summer behind and feel the crispness of fall in the air, our cooking often changes along with the weather. Try out this comforting autumnal recipe of Chicken and Lentil Soup. It combines a way to use up some of that late-summer produce with a warm broth that we know you’re more than ready to dig into.

Chicken and Lentil Soup

• In a large soup pot, sauté one small, diced onion and a few cloves of minced garlic in one tablespoon of olive oil for a few minutes over medium heat.
• Add a couple of diced potatoes and three sliced carrots to the pot. Sauté for a few more minutes until the onion is tender.
• Add one bag of dry lentils, a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce, four cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make vegetarian), one cup of chopped cooked chicken,  ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Tasty additions to add are chopped fresh tomatoes, greens (kale, spinach - any you have will do!), and/or zucchini.
• Bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until everything is cooked.
• Top with Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil, if desired. Enjoy!