Bacon and Lentil Soup

It may be starting to warm up a little, but for lunchtimes when it is raining and a bit grey out I’m still craving a bowlful of something rich and hearty like this Bacon and Lentil Soup. The lardons add a wonderful rich, smoky and meaty flavour to the simmered red lentils, lifted with a simple soffrito and just a hint of turmeric.

It’s a bit of an old fashioned recipe, but the key is in it’s simplicity, slowly simmering together just a handful of ingredients into a big pot of soup to keep in the fridge to fuel your lunches – or to serve up as a simple supper with a side of well buttered bread.

Choosing Your Lardons

You want to choose really good, butcher-quality lardons for this recipe; cheaper supermarket lardons tend to be plumped up to weight with water, and when you start to cook them the water will come out into the pan, making the lardons rubbery instead of crisp. Good quality bacon is a little luxury that is well worth it – I like Field and Flower’s lardons, who I am a brand ambassador for.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Bacon and Lentil Soup

• Author: Rachel Phipps
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: Serves 3-4 1x
• Cuisine: British
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

This simple, hearty Bacon and Lentil Soup is perfect for chilly days, ready and on the table in just an hour. Protein packed, and it re-heats brilliantly, too!

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Ingredients

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• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 200g smoked lardons
• 2 large banana shallots, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• sea salt
• 200g split red lentils
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 litre chicken stock
• black pepper
• chives, to serve

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Instructions

1. In a large saucepan of casserole dish, add the oil and the lardons. Set them over a medium high heat, and once they’re sizzling cook them until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.
2. Add the chopped shallots, carrot, celery, garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 8-10 minutes until soft.
3. Meanwhile, rinse the lentils until the cold tap until the liquid coming out of them turns from cloudy to clear.
4. Stir in 3/4 of the cooked lardons. Then, add the lentils, turmeric, chicken stock and a generous few grinds of black pepper.
5. Turn the heat up to high, and once the soup is simmering vigorously, reduce the heat to medium. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally for 30 minutes until the lentils are tender and the soup has thickened. Season to taste with a litte more pepper, and salt if needed.
6. Serve in warm bowls topped with the reserved lardons and a few snipped chives.

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Notes

Be careful adding salt to this soup; you’ll need a bit to help the onions soften, but the smoked lardons are so salty they’ll season the soup well.

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