Lentil Soup with Tomatoes and Bacon

Name: Lentil Soup with Tomatoes and Bacon
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 225 g/8 oz/1 cup green or brown lentils; 10 ml/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil; 1.75 litres/3 pints/7½ cups vegetable stock; fresh bay leaves and rosemary sprigs, to garnish; 2 rindless lean back bacon rashers (strips), cut into small dice; 400 g/14 oz can chopped plum tomatoes; 2 celery sticks, finely chopped; 1 onion, finely chopped; 2 bay leaves; salt and ground black pepper; 2 carrots, finely diced; 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Lentil Cookbook

By Ghillie Basan

Published 2016

About

The green or brown lentils in this classic rustic Italian soup take on the flavour of the bay leaves and rosemary, and give the soup a wonderful texture.

Ingredients

225 g/8 oz/1 cup green or brown lentils

Europe
Italy
Mediterranean
Gluten-free
Soup

Method

Place the lentils in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 2 hours. Rinse and drain well.
Heat the oil in a pan. Add the bacon and cook for 3 minutes, then stir in the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the celery, carrots, rosemary, bay leaves and lentils and toss over the heat for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes an