This chunky bacon and lentil soup is a comforting and filling one pot meal. With carrots and celery added, it's packed with protein and fiber - and it tastes amazing!
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🥘 Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need dry brown lentils, bacon, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and vegetable or beef stock.
You can also add whatever seasoning you like. Celery salt is amazing it hearty soups like this one, and I also add a pinch of paprika, parsley and thyme.
🥓 Bacon
You can use whichever type of bacon you prefer. Even turkey bacon or vegan "bacon" can be used!
Streaky bacon tends to be thin, and crisps up really nicely after pan frying it.
Back bacon, or bacon medallions, are thicker and have less fat. These are lower calorie, slimming world approved, and more meat-y compared to the streaky, crispy bacon.
🔪 Instructions
Heat the oil in a large pot.
Add the bacon, and fry it until crispy. Then, remove it from the pot and add finely chopped garlic and onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion starts to look translucent.
Add the seasoning and brown lentils to the pot, and stir to combine. Leave it to cook for another 1-2 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
Add the stock/broth or water with stock cubes. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid, and leave it to simmer until the brown lentils have mostly softened. This typically takes about 20 minutes.
Add diced carrots and celery to the soup, and leave it to cook until the vegetables have softened. Add salt and pepper to taste, if using.
Serve the soup with crispy bacon on top, or alternatively, dice the crispy bacon and add it to the soup before serving.
🥗 Serving suggestions
As this soup is really filling, it's well suited to be a hearty main course.
If you want, you can serve it with a side of bread, or a cheese sandwich to dunk in the delicious broth.
💭 Top tips
Here are my best tips to get this bacon and lentil soup absolutely perfect:
- Feel free to add any leftover cooked meat or vegetables to this soup. A great recipe for using up any leftovers!
- Turn this soup into a hearty stew by reducing the amount of liquid.
🍲 Leftovers
Store leftover bacon and lentil soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze it up to 3 months. Make a large batch and freeze it for quick and easy future meals!
💡 TIP! This soup is even better the next day! All the flavors develop more as time passes. Trust me, these are leftovers you definitely want to keep.
📋 Frequently asked questions
Can you make this vegetarian? - Yes! Omit the bacon, or use vegan "bacon" substitute for a veggie version of the dish.
Can I add more vegetables? - Absolutely. Add your favorite veggies, like cauliflower, potatoes or broccoli if you wish.
Can I use canned or pre-cooked lentils? - Yes. Drain and rinse the cooked lentils, and add them after sauteing the onions and bacon. Add the carrots and celery at the same time, and leave the soup to cook until the carrots have softened. You will have to reduce the amount of liquid quite a lot, as the cooked lentils won't absorb any water.
Recipe
Bacon and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 5 streaky bacon rashers
- 220 g brown lentils
- 300 g carrots
- 3 celery sticks
- 1 small onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1600 ml vegetable stock (or beef stock, or water + stock cubes)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the bacon, and fry it until crispy. Then, remove it from the pot and add finely chopped garlic and onion. Saute for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion starts to look translucent.
- Add the seasoning, stock and brown lentils. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid, and leave it to simmer until the brown lentils have mostly softened. This typically takes about 20 minutes.
- Add diced carrots and celery to the soup, and leave it to cook until the vegetables have softened. Add salt and pepper to taste, if using.
- Serve the soup with crispy bacon on top, or alternatively, dice the crispy bacon and add it to the soup before serving.
Sara Welch
What a savory soup! I am adding this to my dinner line up for the week! Looks amazing!
Tonje
Thank you! Hope you like it 🙂
Alison
This is such a good lentil soup! Perfect for a cool autumn day and easy to make on a weeknight.
Tonje
Thank you! I'm so glad you like it. I absolutely agree 🙂
Andrea Metlika
Whoa, you just took delicious lentil soup and upped it with the Bacon!!!
Tonje
Bacon definitely brings another dimension to the soup!
Traci
You had me at bacon… and I'm always up for lentils. This is an easy, delicious recipe that will take us into yummy leftovers. Thanks for another winner! 🙂
Tonje
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I actually think the soup taste even better the next day.. leftovers are great!
Paula Montenegro
I'm a huge fan of lentil soup and I think bacon it an absolute must! So this is definitely my type of recipe! I'm very intrigued about the gravy granules. I had never heard about them.
Tonje
Gravy granulates are so common here in the UK. They are meant to be used to make gravy by mixing them with hot water, but they are amazing at thickening stews and soups too. Glad you like it!