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Lentil Soup with Parsley

Source of Recipe

From "To the Last Bite" by Alexis Deboschnek


Recipe Introduction

"This is based on my mom's lentil soup, which is a beloved winter staple in our house. She got it from her best friend's mother in the 1970s, and she's been making it ever since. I've made this for countless friends over the years, and without fail they ask for the recipe every time—it's that good. The first thing people notice is that there's no crisping the bacon, which leads some to panic that it's not really cooked. But trust me on this one. As the lentils simmer, the bacon slowly renders and flavors the soup. Just before serving, you remove the bacon from the pot, slice it thinly, and then add it back. When you're lucky enough to taste a bite with lentils *and* bacon, the meat literally melts in your mouth. Everyone who has ever tried this lentil soup, even early skeptics, says it's the best they've ever had."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 pound brown lentils
â—¦ 1 package (12 ounces) sliced bacon
â—¦ 2 tablespoons olive oil
â—¦ 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
â—¦ 3 medium carrots, finely chopped
â—¦ 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
â—¦ 3 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 8 cups chicken stock
â—¦ 1 dried bay leaf
â—¦ 2 bunches parsley, 1 tied with kitchen twine, 1 roughly chopped
â—¦ 1 cup celery leaves, roughly chopped
â—¦ Flaky sea salt


Recipe

Place the lentils in a fine mesh sieve and run under cold water. Discard any shriveled lentils or other debris.

On a cutting board, stack the bacon, then tie it together with three pieces of 6-inch kitchen twine.

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 minute.

Add the lentils and stir to coat with the oil and aromatics. Add the stock, bay leaf, and tied pack of bacon, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the tied bunch of parsley, and reduce the heat to low. Place the lid on the pot and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 1 ½ hours.

Discard the bay leaf and parsley. Remove the bacon and untie the string. Finely slice the bacon, then return it back to the pot, stirring to combine. Before serving, add the chopped parsley and celery leaves and stir once to combine. Top with flaky sea salt to taste. The lentil soup lasts for up to 5 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator, or for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Serves 6