Chicken Lentil Stew

I thought a dark picture would look mysterious and cozy, but I'm afraid it just looks like a poor photo. I had to share anyway because this soup is AMAZING! I made this for Sunday dinner and then we had the leftovers for lunch throughout the week. It is so filling and very healthy. A must try healthy comfort food for the fall/winter months.

What you need:

1 rotisserie chicken (my go-to for soups and stews)
4 carrots peeled
4 stalks of celery
1 medium yellow onion
Several cloves of garlic (depends on your taste- I always put a bunch)
1 tablespoon of oil (I use olive oil but vegetable oil will do fine)
1 tablespoon of butter (although I usually just use more vegetable oil and no butter)
1 bag of lentils
1 small can of roasted tomatoes
1 carton low sodium chicken stalk
salt
pepper
marjoram
sage

What you do:

Make a soup stater (mirepoix) by chopping the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and sautéing them in the oil/butter with salt and pepper until tender.

While the vegetables are sautéing, pick apart the rotisserie chicken and put the meat into a large pot.

Add the vegetables and the chicken stalk to the pot along with the lentils, tomatoes, and spices. Bring to a boil, then cover and continue to cook on low-medium heat for about a half hour or until the lentils are tender. Once done, remove the pot from the stove and use and immersion blender in the stew for about 30 seconds to a minute. You don't want everything blended, just some of the stew to give it that stew-like consistency. After that, keep warm on the stove until you want to serve. A nice hearty wheat bread goes well with this. Store the leftovers and enjoy for the week!