Hearty Lentil Soup

You'll probably notice that I'll be posting a bunch of soup recipes. In my mind, it's soup season -- the perfect time of year to have a pot of soup on the stove over the weekend. If I'm ambitious, I'll make two soup recipes in a weekend so I can have some variation through the week. Soup is pretty easy to make and usually healthy -- so win, win.

This is one of my favorite soups right now. It does not require a lot of babysitting and can be made in less than an hour. Perfect for me to make a batch and pack it up for lunch at work.

From: The Best New Recipe Cookbook

Ingredients:

3 slides of bacon (organic, preferred), cut into 1/4 in pieces

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into medium pieces

3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon fresh thyme (I used 1/4 tsp. dried thyme)

1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 teaspoon salt

ground black pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 1/2 cups low-sodium organic chicken broth

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

1. Fry the bacon in a large stockpot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy (3-4 minutes). Add the onion & carrots, cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened (2 minutes). Add the garlic until fragrant (30 seconds). Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme and cook until fragrant (30 seconds). Stir in the lentils, salt, pepper to taste; cover, reduce the head to medium low and cook until the vegetables are softened and the lentils have darkened (roughly 8 - 10 minutes)

2. Uncover, increase the heat to high and add the wine, bringing it to a simmer. Add the chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Cover partially and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape 30 to 35 minutes, discard the bay leaf.

3. Use an immersion blender to make the soup a little smooth (it does not all have to be blended). Or puree 3 cups of soup in a blender until smooth and return to the pot. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and heat the soup to medium-low heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley to serve.