Executive Chef Paul Duncan shares an easy two-in-one recipe to make any night of the week. Then enjoy it a different way the next night!

Black Lentil Soup & Pasta Fagiole Recipe
(makes 4 portions of soup and 4 portions of pasta fagiole)

*Note: this recipe makes 8 portions of lentil soup total – soup gets divided in half so 4 portions are served as soup and 4 portions are reserved to make sauce for pasta fagiole.

Ingredients for Black Lentil Soup

• 1 pound dried black lentils (soaked in room temperature water for 1.5 hours)
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium white onion (small dice)
• 1 medium red onion (small dice)
• 4 medium carrots (peeled and diced)
• 5 ribs of celery (small dice)
• 1 fennel bulb (core removed and discarded, remaining bulb diced)
• 10 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
• 1 Serrano pepper (small dice, seeds removed and discarded)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 3/4 Tablespoon dried basil
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (may substitute fresh tomatoes – if so, score and blanch 5 large tomatoes to remove skin, rough chop skinned tomatoes)
• 6 cups chicken stock (can substitute vegetable stock or water)
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (stems removed, washed and chopped)
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (we prefer full fat, make sure it is unsweetened)

Ingredients for Pasta Fagiole

• 1 14 oz. can cannellini beans (drained)
• 1 lb. dry spaghetti or linguine noodles (can substitute any pasta shape of choice)
• 1 bunch black kale (rinsed, de-stemmed and chopped)
• 2 cups chicken stock, if necessary (can substitute vegetable stock or water)
• 1/4 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley (stems removed, washed and chopped)

To make soup:

1. Once lentils have soaked, drain and rinse thoroughly
2. In a heavy bottom soup pot (we use a 5 1/2 qt. Le Creuset dutch oven) heat olive oil over medium-high heat
3. Add white onion, red onion, carrots, celery, fennel and garlic to heated oil and sauté for 5 minutes
4. Add Serrano pepper, cayenne, oregano, basil, cumin and a nice pinch of Kosher salt and until aromatic (about 2-3 minutes)
5. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes and chicken stock and stir together thoroughly
6. Bring mixture to just below a simmer and add drained lentils and stir to combine
7. Bring soup to a brief boil and turn to a low heat so soup is barely simmering
8. Cook uncovered for 1-1.5 hours until soup thickens slightly and lentils are fully cooked but still intact
9. Season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper
10. To serve, portion half of the lentil soup into 4 bowls and top each portion with chopped fresh cilantro and plain Greek yogurt
11. Chill remaining half of lentil soup to be used for pasta fagiole (see below)

To make pasta fagiole with leftover soup:

1. Combine leftover lentil soup and cannellini beans in heavy bottom soup pot and reheat
2. In a separate pot, bring 3 qt. water to a boil and season generously with Kosher salt
3. Add dry pasta to boiling salted water and cook until done according to directions on package
4. While pasta is cooking, add rinsed, chopped black kale to reheating soup
5. Once kale has begun to wilt, add butter to soup
6. Add chicken stock, if needed, to thin the soup to a sauce consistency
7. Drain pasta and add directly to pot with lentil/bean/kale sauce
8. Remove pasta from heat, fold in parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly to combine
9. Season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper
10. To serve, divide pasta equally into 4 bowls and garnish each portion with fresh chopped parsley and more parmesan cheese