Lentil and bacon soup
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 6
This tasty and filling red lentil and bacon soup that takes just 20 minutes from start to finish. Make and freeze in portions to take to work.
Each serving provides 187 kcal, 11.3g protein, 21.2g carbohydrate (of which 3.5g sugars), 4.7g fat (of which 1.3g saturates), 7.2g fibre and 1.04g salt.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp oil, such as vegetable oil or light olive oil
- 75g/2¾oz smoked back bacon, trimmed of all fat and finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 1.5 litres/3lb 5oz chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 200g/7oz red lentils
- large sprig thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon, onion and red pepper. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have started to soften.
Boil a kettle and use this to make your stock – or if using fresh stock, bring it to the boil in a separate saucepan while the vegetables are cooking.
Add the sweet potato, garlic and lentils to the bacon and vegetables. Stir for a minute, then pour over the just-boiled stock and add the herbs.
Season with salt and pepper. Return to the boil – this should be more or less instant – then turn down to a medium heat, cover, and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the red lentils are tender. Carefully pick out the herbs.
Blend using a stick-blender if preferred – or you can leave the soup as is.
Serve in warmed bowls. Any leftovers freeze well or can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe tips
If you add cold stock rather than just-boiled stock, it will add around 5 minutes to the cooking time.
