Lentil Vegetable Soup

My grandparents were coming to dinner and they love soup so I decided to make this dish. I served it with some great bread I got at the bakery. I had never cooked with leeks before and was excited to try. They can be gritty so be sure to check the stalks when cleaning. In hindsight, I only made half the recipe but I'd make the whole next time and freeze it. I'd highly recommend this dish for a cold night when you want to curl up and relax.

Lentil Vegetable Soup
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

1 lb French green lentils (my local store didn't have French, so I bought regular and it was just fine)
4 c chopped yellow onions (3 lrg onions)
4 c chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
1 tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 c olive oil, plus more for drizzling on top
1 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp ground cumin
3 c medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 c medium-diced carrots (4-6 carrots)
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 c tomato paste
2 tbsp red wine or red wine vinegar
Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, garlic with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and thyme for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine (or red wine vinegar) and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with parmesan.