Cut the onion, carrot, and celery into 1 cm cubes. Finely chop the garlic. If you're using fresh tomatoes instead of canned, blanch and peel the tomatoes and then cut into 1 cm cubes.

Heat up olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until the vegetables become tender.

Once the vegetables are tender, add the canned tomato with the juices. Cook until the moisture evaporates and the tomatoes become tender.

Add the lentils. Once everything has been covered in the sauce, add the bouillon, the thyme, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat.

The lentils I used this time don't require being soaked in water, so I just rinsed and used them as is.

Once boiling, cover with a lid, lower the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. When the lentils have softened, add the macaroni and simmer for another 8 minutes.