Spicy Pork, Red Pepper and Lentil Soup

I woke up yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving, to the quiet, rhythmic tapping of rain on the roof and windows. I could hear the drips on the backdoor threshold and I stayed in bed, listening and enjoying the sounds. I love rain. Unfortunately, it doesn't rain much in California and when it does, two things are certain. One, no one knows how to drive in the rain here; two, the local news stations will over-report a light drizzle as Storm Watch 2013. It's a breaking news story when we have actual weather in Southern California. Anyway, confronted with the reality of rain and not wanting to drive with all those crazies, we changed our plans to visit my husband's family and stayed home instead. 
I was happy because there's something about a rainy day that makes me want to stay home and make a big pot of soup and luckily that's exactly what I did. I enlisted my two boys to help with preparation. Gotta keep the kiddos busy when they are "rained in". They were a great help. I let them peel garlic and cut up red bell peppers and carrots. They had a lot of fun too. My oldest, who has stated on many occasions that he wants to be a Marine Biologist, has now changed his future profession to chef. :) 
Like most of the soups I make, they're a little bit of this and that. Basically, I use whatever I have on hand at the time and this one is no different. I had some leftovers of my Crockpot Pork Verde in the freezer and decided to put it to good use. I also like to use spaghetti sauce in my soups, it makes for a great base that you can doctor up. For this soup, I used a jar of Classico Spicy Red Pepper Sauce. It's the main soup flavor and the spicy ingredient in this soup. Add some chicken stock, vegetables, lentils and Pork Verde and you get this delicious Spicy Pork, Red Pepper and Lentil Soup. Enjoy!

Spicy Pork, Red Pepper and Lentil Soup 
Serves 8


1 small onion, diced (~1/2 cup)
1 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup red bell peppers,chopped
2 T olive oil
1 cup white wine 
3/4 cup green lentils
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 jar Classico Spicy Red Pepper Sauce
4 cups chicken broth
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
1/2 t smoked paprika
salt and pepper (to taste)
1-2 cups leftover Pork Verde, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
cilantro, garnish

In a dutch oven, add olive oil, onions, carrots and red bell peppers and saute until onions are translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add white wine, tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, chicken broth, spices and lentils, cover and simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes to cook lentils. Add chopped pork and heat for additional 10-15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in frozen peas and serve. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

I also made some Cheese Pita Bread to have along side this soup. Lightly brush pita bread with olive oil and sprinkle with Queso Fresco, heat in 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Cut into wedges.

For another recipe using leftover Pork Verde, try Pork Verde and Hominy Stew.