What goes in Lentil Soup?
Bacon – You will need 100g Bacon, unless you are going for the vegetarian option
Olive oil
Carrot – You will need to chop 1 large Carrot.
Celery – You will need to chop 3 sticks of Celery.
Onion – You will need to chop 1 large Onion.
Brown Lentils – You will need to rinse 450g of Brown Lentils
Chicken OR Vegetable Stock – You will need 1 Litre of either Chicken or Vegetable Stock.
Hot Water – You will need to boil 1.5 Litres of hot water.
Thyme & Rosemary – Use ¼ teaspoon of both chopped fresh Thyme and Rosemary
Garlic – Chop 3 Garlic Cloves.
Salt & Pepper – To taste.
How to make Lentil Soup
- In a thick based saucepan or pot, cook the bacon on a low heat until it turns translucent (~5mins), add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lentils, add the stock and hot water and Thyme/Rosemary and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat to low/medium and simmer until the Lentils are soft, ~ 1 hour.
- Remove about 2 cups of the lentils with a slotted spoon and puree them in a blender and return this to the soup (you don’t have to do this but it’s a nice addition).
- Check the consistency of the soup and either add some extra water or cook it a bit longer to make it thinner or thicker. Taste and check the seasoning, adding salt/pepper where needed.
- Pour into a big bowl, drizzle with good Olive Oil and enjoy.
Resource
This is from a famous restaurant in Venice called Arrigo Harry’s Bar where if you're lucky enough will be able to pay ₤48 for a bowl of minestrone.
For more recipe ideas and inspiration, follow @VIS_nutrition on Instagram!
