Some soups are meant to fill a big bowl and stand in for dinner. This one goes a different way. It is smooth, savory, and refined enough to serve as a first course. This French lentil soup with bacon is blended until velvety, then finished with crisp bacon on top.
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Why You'll Want to Make This
The texture is the main reason to make this soup. Blending and straining turn a short list of ingredients into something much smoother than you might expect from lentils. The crispy bacon on top gives each bowl a salty crunch, so the soup stays interesting from the first spoonful to the last.
It is also a useful recipe when you want a starter that feels a little special but does not take long. Because the lentils are soaked first, the cooking time stays short. I would not skip the straining here; that is what gives the soup its finer, more polished finish.
What You Need
- Bacon: A small amount of finely chopped bacon flavors the soup and gives you a crisp topping. Start it on low heat so the fat renders before the bacon crisps.
- Onion: Onion gives the soup a savory base. Chop it finely so it softens quickly.
- Carrot: Carrot adds a little sweetness and rounds out the lentils. Keep the pieces small for the short cooking time.
- Celery: Celery adds freshness and depth to the base. Like the onion and carrot, it should be finely chopped.
- Lentils: Use lentils, rinse them and soak overnight.
- Water: Water keeps the flavor clean and simple. The bacon and vegetables provide the savory base.
- Salt and pepper: Season at the end, especially because bacon can already be salty.
How to Make It
- Step 1: Cook the bacon over low heat until the fat starts to render, then raise the heat and fry it until crisp. Remove the bacon and let it drain on paper towels
- Step 2: Cook the onion, carrot, and celery in the same pan over low heat for about 5 minutes, so the vegetables soften and pick up the bacon flavor.
- Step 3: Add the soaked lentils and water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
- Step 4: Blend the soup, strain it through a sieve, and warm it through again. Spoon into bowls and top with the crispy bacon right before serving.
Top Tips
- Start the bacon on low heat. This gives the fat time to render, which adds flavor to the vegetables and helps the bacon crisp properly.
- Chop the onion, carrot, and celery finely. This is a quick soup, so small pieces help everything soften in time. Do not skip the sieve if you want the smoothest texture.
- Blending alone makes the soup creamy, but straining gives it that finer finish
What to Serve With It
- Serve this soup in small bowls or cups as a first course.
- For a light lunch, add a slice of baguette or simple buttered toast on the side. Keep the bacon separate until serving so it stays crisp.
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Ingredients
- 1 oz. smoked bacon, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon carrot, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon celery, finely chopped
- 1½ oz. lentils , rinsed, soaked (1 night) and drained
- 1¼ cups water
- salt and pepper , at taste
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Put the bacon in a saucepan and place it over low heat until the fat starts to render.1 oz. smoked bacon
- Raise the heat and fry the bacon until crisp. Remove it from the pan and drain on paper towels.
- Put the same pan back over low heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring now and then.1 tablespoon onion, 1 tablespoon carrot, 1 tablespoon celery
- Add the soaked lentils and stir them through the vegetables. Pour in the water.1½ oz. lentils , 1¼ cups water
- Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
- Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Strain the soup through a sieve for a finer texture.
- Return the soup to the pan and warm it through. Season with salt and pepper.salt and pepper
- Spoon into bowls and top with the crispy bacon right before serving.
Notes
- Refrigerator: Store the soup base in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze the soup base if needed, but do not freeze the bacon topping.
- Reheat gently on the stove until hot. Keep the crispy bacon separate and add it right before serving.
Nutrition
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