2 cups dried lentils
5 cups water
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced celery
1-1/2 cups finely diced onions
2 small red potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup broken vermicelli
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
2 whole bay leaves
1 tsp. cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
Shredded Parmesan cheese for topping
Toast round for garnish

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First, wash and pick through the lentils to remove any rocks or foreign debris.

In the meantime, combine the water and the chicken broth in a 5-quart stockpot or Dutch oven and bring it to a low boil.

Then simply stir in the remaining ingredients (except the salt and black pepper) and cook everything over a low heat at a gentle simmer for about an hour or until the lentils are soft and tender.

All that remains is to remove the bay leaves, season the peas with the salt and pepper to taste, and ladle the soup out into deep bowls.

Garnish each serving with a light sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and serve piping hot with toast rounds.