Lentil Vegetable Soup was perfect!

I have never cooked with lentils, although I was particular interested in this recipe because of the fiber content of lentils--12 grams/ 1/4 cup...oh my goodness, that is a fiber lover's paradise!! I did not care to try to locate Ina's French green lentils that she says you can get by mail or specialty store, so I just bought the orange lentils from Walmart, cause they are available, cheap, and pretty.

I cut the recipe in half, but leftovers were so good, I would not have minded the whole recipe for several days of lentil soup. I am afraid I did not measure very much, but it did not seem to matter. My soup was brothier than Ina's picture, but I liked it like that. I debated a good deal over the last ingredient of either red wine or red wine vinegar--seemed to me there is a big difference! I chose the red wine, since I had some, and I only had white wine vinegar. However, in retrospect, I actually think the vinegar might be the better choice. I can see how that little punch of tang would be a nice bright taste in the soup. The Parmesan cheese added more flavor to this soup than it does to most things. I often think Parmesan is more for looks than anything, but on this soup it does seem to take the lowly lentils to a fancy level of taste.

So...this lentil vegetable soup gets a 10 from me, and will become a winter regular (pun intended) for me.