Rustic Tomato Lentil Soup

From SparkPeople:

Serves: 4

Cooked lentils are high in calcium, potassium, zinc, and iron. Reprinted with permission from HOW IT ALL VEGAN! by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer, Arsenal Pulp Press.

INGREDIENTS
as much garlic as you can stand, minced
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, including juice or 5-8 diced fresh tomatoes + 1/4 cup water
2 cups cooked or canned lentils
pepper (to taste)
cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 cup dry pasta (any short kind)

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large soup pot, sauté garlic, onions, and carrots in oil on medium-high heat until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the celery, stock, tomatoes, lentils, pepper, and cayenne and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.
3. Add pasta and simmer to 10 more minutes before serving.

NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 242
Fat: 7.8 g
Carbohydrates: 36.7 g
Protein: 8.4 g