This bacon and lentil soup is easy to make and delicious. In this recipe, bacon is cooked until crispy, then onions, carrots, celery and garlic are sautéed in the drippings. Add a few spices and you’ll have a hearty and flavorful pot of lentils. This soup is great for weeknights since lentils cook up pretty quick; by bean standards. If you want another great lentil recipe, try this Italian sausage lentil soup and if you have a little more time on your hands, try this navy bean soup.
Ingredients
6 Slices of Bacon, chopped into small pieces
1 Medium Onion, finely diced
1 Carrot, diced
1 Celery Rib, diced
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Paprika
¼ teaspoon Cumin
¼ teaspoon Dried Oregano
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
12 oz. Lentils, sorted, rinsed and drained
8 cups Chicken Broth
Salt, to taste
Prep Work
Cut the bacon into small pieces, using scissors makes this really easy. Dice the onions, carrots and celery. Mince the garlic.
Add the paprika, cumin, dried oregano and black pepper to a small bowl.
Pick through the lentils looking for any foreign objects such as small stones. Don’t skip this step, I’ve found small rocks in my lentils on more than one occasion. Rinse and drain the lentils.
Cook the bacon
Add the bacon to a large pot and place over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes. Stir only occasionally at first, but as the bacon gets going stir frequently. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. If the bacon renders a lot of grease, remove some using a large spoon. Leave about 3 tablespoons in the pot.
Make the lentil soup
Place the pot back over medium heat and add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano and black pepper to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Add the lentils and the chicken broth, raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cover. Cook the lentils for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the bacon back to the pot. Cook the lentils for another 15 minutes or so until the lentils are tender (depending on how tender you like your lentils), stirring occasionally.
Taste the lentil soup and add salt if needed. Serves 6
Bacon and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 6 Slices of Bacon chopped into small pieces
- 1 Medium Onion finely diced
- 1 Carrot diced
- 1 Celery Rib diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 12 oz. Lentils sorted, rinsed and drained
- 8 cups Chicken Broth
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Prep Work
- Cut the bacon into small pieces.
- Dice the onions, carrots and celery. Mince the garlic.
- Add the paprika, cumin, dried oregano and black pepper to a small bowl.
- Pick through the lentils looking for any foreign objects such as small stones. Rinse and drain the lentils.
Cook the bacon
- Add the bacon to a large pot and place over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes. Stir only occasionally at first, but as the bacon gets going stir frequently.
- Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. If the bacon renders a lot of grease, remove some using a large spoon. Leave about 3 tablespoons in the pot.
Make the lentil soup
- Place the pot back over medium heat and add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano and black pepper to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the lentils and the chicken broth, raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cover. Cook the lentils for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the bacon back to the pot. Cook the lentils for another 15 minutes or so until the lentils are tender (depending on how tender you like your lentils), stirring occasionally.
- Taste the lentil soup and add salt if needed.
