Bacon Lentil Soup Recipe
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This hearty Bacon Lentil Soup is just what you need to take the chill off. Basic ingredients are all that is needed to make this oh so satisfying and flavorful soup.
Our daughter thinks soup isn’t really proper food. For years she has turned up her nose to an array of delicious bowls of soup, chowder or chili. She scoffs at it, mocking soup as if it were a enemy of her soul. That is up until she caught a whiff of this Bacon Lentil Soup cooking. The scoffing stopped. I didn’t even try to persuade her. It happened on its own.
She’s now a grown up like that. Foods that formerly seem so blech and blah and unworthy all of a sudden become acceptable, even favorites. Funny how that happens.
So the Bacon Lentil Soup sent out enticing aromas tempting her tummy, drawing her close to the pot, eventually winning her over to the soup side. I’ll hold my breath to see if she comes around to liking all the soups of the world, but for now I’m happy there is at least this one that satisfies her soul, or at least her tummy.
This Bacon Lentil Soup uses basic ingredients and is so easy to make. It’s great for a serving a group along with a large tossed salad. We like to make a large batch and eat leftovers for the following week, as this soup only gets better with time. Enjoy!
A few Bacon Lentil Soup Recipe notes:
- This lentil soup can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- If reheating leftovers, you may need to add more liquid when rewarming to thin it back out. More stock, broth or water will work just fine.
- Turkey bacon may be substituted. Olive oil may need to be added to pan when sautéing vegetables if pot is dry.
- Although any onion will work for this recipe, I really do like purple onions with lentils and beans. They also make a lovely garnish for this soup when finely diced.
- If you can find them, I recommend using fire roasted diced tomatoes.
More soup recipes to cozy up to:
Bacon Lentil Soup Recipe
Bacon Lentil Soup
Basic ingredients are all that is needed to make this oh so satisfying and flavorful soup.
Ingredients
- 8 strips of bacon*
- 1 cup diced onion**
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 4 garlic cloves, grated/minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (or Italian seasonings)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 64 ounces vegetable stock
- 30 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices***
- 1 pound dried lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (more to taste)
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a large pot or dutch oven until crispy. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving fat in pan.
- Adjust heat to medium-low. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, chopped celery. Saute in bacon fat for 5 minutes. (If pot is dry, add a little olive oil as needed.) Add garlic, oregano and thyme, and cook, stirring for one minute.
- Add vegetable broth, tomatoes, lentils, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Crumble bacon and add to pot.
- Bring to a simmer and cover; cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft, about 1-1 1/2 hour. Salt and pepper to taste.
- If desired garnish with grated cheese and herbs. And if you like it spicy, add a few dashes (or more!) of hot sauce.
Notes
*Turkey bacon may be substituted. Olive oil may need to be added to pan when sautéing vegetables if pot is dry.
**Although any onion will work for this recipe, I really do like purple onions with lentils and beans. They also make a lovely fresh garnish when finely diced.
***I recommend fire roasted diced tomatoes if you can find them.
This soup can be made ahead by 3 days and kept covered and refrigerated. If making ahead, the lentils may soak up more liquid. When rewarming, add more stock or water to desired consistency.
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Mmmm, this sounds so good!!
Amy do you know how many carbs this is a serving ? I am having to watch my carbs and this looks delicious.
I’m sorry, I have not calculated the nutritional facts for this recipe, Betty.
This was delicious and my husband said it was one of the best things I’ve ever made! Your white bean chili is also another household fave. Thank you!
YAY! I’m so glad y’all enjoy it, Mel!
could you make this in the crock pot? perhaps transferring the bacon fat, cooked onions, celery, etc to crock pot? This sounds so good but would like it to cook while I”m away.
This sounds great, will definitely be making it. My grandson never used to like soup, hated peas so when I made pea soup I called it bacon soup and he loved it, after a few years I asked him if he ever wondered why it was green, he came up with several ideas all except peas. It is now his favourite and yes he knows it is pea and bacon soup. I think he will like this one as well.
Made this and loved it! Drained some of the bacon grease to keep the fat content down.
Glad to hear it, Steve!
I’ve been looking for a really good lentil soup recipe and here it is! Thanks so much.
Made this today. It is delicious. So easy to make. Thanks Amy for the recipe!!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Donna!
When I made this last winter,,, I added pine nuts.. Adds a wonderful woodsie flavor.
Made this exactly as written today – it was delicious. Great smoky flavor from the bacon. YUMMY!!!
Are the lentils green or red? I bought all the ingredients and was going to make it tonight, I thought they looked green on the PC at home but i’m looking again and they look red now! Have I missed where it specifies or does not matter?
It does not matter.
I love lentil soup, it’s the perfect comfort food. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Ok this was nothing short of incredible! Thank you for this lovely recipe! I made a few tiny changes to suit my needs – I tripled the onion (I love onion lol!), doubles the garlic, carrots, and celery, and added a 32 oz chicken broth to it. I also bought thick cut bacon and trimmed as much fat as I possibly could from it. Threw in some orzo and topped it off with a dash of red hot sauce. It was so hearty and so delicious! Really bursting with flavor. This is going to be a staple in our house now for sure!
This soup is perfect for these cold winter nights!
I NEVER leave reviews but this soup was seriously amazing.. like, my picky 6 year old finished his whole bowl in 5 minutes and my husband had thirds.
I only had a pack of bacon bits and ends from a butcher on hand, so I used those which made for an excellent bite. I also only had chicken stock, so used that in place of the vegetable. Topped with some shredded parm and a dash of hot sauce.. and dang. No joke, this will be a staple now.
Thanks so much for sharing!
I’m looking forward to trying this. In the ingredient list you call for vegetable stock. But in the directions you say broth. Which one would you suggest?
I love to add very small diced potatoes. Very yummy!
Did you leave the lentils soaking over night ???