French Lentil Soup with Bacon
A smooth French lentil soup with savory bacon and a velvety finish, perfect as a small starter.
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
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
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
1. Can I skip the sieve? You can, but the soup will be less smooth. The sieve gives the soup a finer finish.
2. Why cook the vegetables in the bacon fat? The bacon fat adds flavor to the onion, carrot, and celery, which gives the soup more depth without adding more ingredients.
3. Do I need to soak the lentils? Yes. This recipe uses soaked lentils so they cook quickly in about 20 minutes.
4. How do I keep the bacon crisp? Drain the bacon on paper towels and add it only right before serving.
5. Storage
- 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
Calories: 26kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 36mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 324IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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