The best lentil soup

by Andrea Gámez

This is the best lentil soup, hands down. This soup has vegetables and bacon. It is a comforting meal, that makes you feel cozy and at home. This recipe is full of flavor, and also healthy. For these cold months, this recipe is just perfect.

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Now, I know that many people don’t really like lentils. But I truly think when people say that it just means they don’t like the way they cook them. When I was a child, I used to complain when my mom would make lentil soup, because I felt they tasted like nothing. Sometimes she would just use tomato and onion, and some salt, which obvisouly is not very tasty.

Then I started trying some other ways of making lentils, and now this very recipe is my favorite. I like it just like it is, but you can, of course,add some other vegetables or ingredients, or use something different instead. You could maybe add potatoes, pumpkin or zucchini, and it would probably taste just great.

I recommend making this soup just as we do it here, because it truly is delicious. Plus, we add a bunch of spices, to make it taste amazing. I love using spices, and I am a fan of most of them actually.

The best way to eat this is with a pice of bread with some butter on it. YUM! you get extra points if you eat it while watching a movie on a rainny day.

Our lentil soup, as you can see in the pictures, is not transparent. This is because after we cook the lentils, we blend a part of it all, and mix it in together again, to make the soup thicker.

If you like this recipe, you have to go see our butter chicken recipe, an Indian dish that is just amazing.

The best lentil soup

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots peeled and chopped
  • 3.52 oz (100 gr) bacon
  • 3 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp powder curry
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dry oregano
  • 1 tomato
  • 1/2 C (4.20 oz) (120 gr) tomato puree
  • 1 C (7 oz) (200 gr) lentils, rinsed
  • 4 C (32.50 fl oz) (960 ml) vegetable or chicken broth
  • 2 C (16.20 fl oz) (480 ml) water
  • 1 tsp (0.25 oz) (7 gr) salt (more to taste)
  • 1 tsp chili flakes
  • 1 tsp gorund black pepper
  • 1 C (1 oz) (30 gr) fresh spinach, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Cortar la cebolla y el ajo en dados pequeños. Pelar y cortar la zanahoria en mediaslunas o en trozos de tamaño mediano.
  • In a big pot, to medium heat, pour the oil. Let it heat up. Then it's hot, add in the onion, carrot, garlic and bacon and let it cook until the onion becomes soft and transparent, about 5 minutes.
  • Mix in the cumin, paprika, curry, thyme and oregano and mix for 30 seconds. Then, add the tomato and the tomato puree and mix for about 2 minutes.
  • Add in the lentils, the broth and water. Then add the salt, chili flakes and pepper and mix a little. Bring the heat up to high heat and put the lid on, leaving some space to let the vapor out. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes until the lentils are soft but still hold their shape.
  • Transfer 2 cups of the soup into a blender and blend until you get a smooth mixture, careful not to burn. Add this mixture back again into the soup pot.
  • Add in the fresh spinach and let it all cook for another 5 minutes. If you want to, you can add some more salt to taste and more chili flakes. Serve while hot. They can last up to 4 days in the fridge and a few months in the freezer.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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