Herby Lentil Soup
I love lentil soup but I especially enjoyed this recipe which I believe came from the book, The Best Life Recipes. I found the recipe tucked away in my recipe files and decided to make it. Of course it got altered along the way.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2/3 - 1 cup chopped carrot
1 pepper, red or green
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2-3 slices bacon, cooked and then crumbled
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
5 cups chicken broth
1# can crushed or chopped tomatoes
1 dried hot pepper (optional)
3 sage leaves, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dry rubbed sage if the fresh isn't available (which it wasn't for me)
2 large fresh thyme springs, finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme leaves (I used dry)
2 large rosemary springs, you could also substitute dry rosemary--maybe about 1/2 teaspoon. I used fresh
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons or more chopped fresh cilantro
Fry bacon until crisp. Remove most of the drippings, add the olive oil and saute onions, carrots and peppers until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the lentils. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until the lentils are almost tender. Add the herbs, salt and pepper, except for cilantro. Cook until the lentils are completely tender. Transfer 4 cups of the soup to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth and return to the pot.
Check the soup's consistency. Add more chicken broth if it is too thick. Top the soup with the crumbled bacon and cilantro and serve.
A serving of the soup is supposed to have 18 grams of fiber which goes a long way towards meeting the daily recommendation.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2/3 - 1 cup chopped carrot
1 pepper, red or green
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2-3 slices bacon, cooked and then crumbled
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
5 cups chicken broth
1# can crushed or chopped tomatoes
1 dried hot pepper (optional)
3 sage leaves, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dry rubbed sage if the fresh isn't available (which it wasn't for me)
2 large fresh thyme springs, finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme leaves (I used dry)
2 large rosemary springs, you could also substitute dry rosemary--maybe about 1/2 teaspoon. I used fresh
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons or more chopped fresh cilantro
Fry bacon until crisp. Remove most of the drippings, add the olive oil and saute onions, carrots and peppers until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the lentils. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until the lentils are almost tender. Add the herbs, salt and pepper, except for cilantro. Cook until the lentils are completely tender. Transfer 4 cups of the soup to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth and return to the pot.
Check the soup's consistency. Add more chicken broth if it is too thick. Top the soup with the crumbled bacon and cilantro and serve.
A serving of the soup is supposed to have 18 grams of fiber which goes a long way towards meeting the daily recommendation.
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