This mouthwatering lentil and bacon soup is so easy to make at home and tastes delicious too. The rich salty bacon flavour works wonders with the soft texture of the lentils.
This lentil and bacon soup recipe is a delicious lunch time option. Serving 4-6 people, this mouth-watering recipe is packed full of lentils which will keep you fuller for longer and bacon which adds a great depth of flavour to the soup. A hearty, healthy soup that all the family will love – and you can keep it for up to three months frozen, too. Just reheat it when you need a quick supper! This recipe takes 1hr to slow cook this luxurious soup dish. A portion of this dish works out at only 240 calories and 10g of fat per portion.
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 6 rashers smoked streaky bacon
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 200g (7oz) red lentils
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 2 tbsps chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Crusty bread, to serve
Method
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon, onion and carrots and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes, or until the bacon has started to turn golden and the vegetables have softened. Add the lentils to the pan and stir well. Add the chopped tomatoes and 1.5 litres (2½ pints) boiling water, and stir in stock cube. Bring to the boil, cover, and then simmer the soup gently for about 1 hour, or until the lentils and vegetables are tender.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave the soup to cool slightly. Purée the soup with the parsley, and add seasoning to taste. If the soup is too thick, a little extra boiling water can be added.
Reheat the soup for serving in mugs, with crusty bread.
Top tip for making Lentil and bacon soup
To save time (and washing up), this soup needn't be puréed, but can be left slightly chunky - just make sure it's cooked for long enough, so that the lentils are very tender. If the soup isn't going to be pureed, ensure that both the bacon and onion are finely chopped. To freeze, leave the soup to cool, pack into freezer containers, cover, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the soup to defrost before reheating.
