Smoky Bacon Lentil Soup
This cozy lentil soup is thick, hearty, and full of delicious flavor! Feel free to add a few of the "extras" from the notes below if you want to try spicing things up even more!
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Servings: 10 cups soup
Calories: 235kcal
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon diced (can use more, if you want--6-8 slices!)
- 1 onion diced
- 4 carrots diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound brown lentils or green lentils
- 2 quarts chicken bone broth or vegetable broth (I like bone broth for extra protein!)
- 1-2 cups water (as needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- Your Favorite Hot Suace (for serving)
Instructions
- Sort & Rinse Lentils. Before you start, check through the lentils and remove any rocks, pebbles, or weird-looking lentils. Rinse in a sieve thoroughly and set aside.
- Cook The Bacon. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon pieces over medium heat 8-10 minutes, or until crisped. Don't drain the bacon fat. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, brown bacon. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute longer. Add lentils and vegetable broth to the pot.
- Cook Veggies. Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot with the bacon and cook 5-7 minutes to soften, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. They may not be fully cooked through, but should be softer.
- Build Flavor. Add tomato paste, garlic, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to the pan and cook another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Simmer. Add lentils and broth to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 35-45 minutes, or until lentils are tender, adding water, as needed. The exact cooking time will vary based on the type of lentils you use, so check regularly, and feel free to add a few minutes to the cook time, as needed.
- Finish The Soup. Use an immersion blender to gently pulse just 4-5 times to blend part of the soup. (If you don't have an immersion blender, you can remove 1 cup or so of the soup and pulse in a blender or food processor--be careful when blending hot soup!! Stir in vinegar and fresh herbs and stir to combine, adding more water again, if needed. (I usually end up using the full 2 cups with green lentils, though I may only need 1 cup with brown lentils)
- Serve & Store. Enjoy warm with sandwiches, salad, or bread. Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days. (The flavor will be even better the next day!)Or, freeze up to 2 months!
Notes
- Broth. I recommend using chicken bone broth with 8-9 grams of protein per serving. It brings the protein up to 20 grams per cup of soup! Make sure to use gluten-free broth!
- Lentils. I recommend green lentils or brown lentils for this recipe.
- Extras To Try. Feel free to add extra seasonings here--a little cumin will play up the smoky flavors even more, while a bay leaf adds savory depth. Try a little fresh thyme for an herby layer of flavor, or serve with a few drops of hot sauce for some kick! I sometimes even stir in a handful or two of finely chopped spinach at the end for more nutrients.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1cup soup (made with bone broth) | Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 35.2g | Protein: 20.4g | Fat: 1.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 382.6mg | Potassium: 556.7mg | Fiber: 6.4g | Sugar: 3.9g | Vitamin C: 7.6mg | Calcium: 40.3mg
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/bacon-lentil-soup/