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    Home Β» Recipes Β» Main Dishes

    Spicy Lentil Soup with Bacon

    Published: Mar 14, 2017 Β· Modified: Feb 24, 2018 by Alyssa Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

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    A pot of spicy lentil soup with bacon is a warming and healthy meal option fit for chilly nights or anytime. Old Bay seasoning adds a kick, with bacon rounding out the flavor for this satisfying soup recipe.

    A bowl of thick lentil soup with bacon and a spoon.

    When it comes to soup, let’s just say I’m not terribly ‘on-season’. Slow cooker coconut curry chicken soup made an appearance on September 1st last year, when I’m sure it was pushing 90Β°F outside, and here we are approaching spring and I’m talking about warm, comforting lentil soup. To be fair, when soups are this good, I’ll gladly enjoy them no matter the season.

    …all this to say it’s hovering around freezing outside here in the south, and lots of friends + fam in the northeast are dealing with massive snow today. If there was ever a time for lentil soup, I think it’s now.

    A large round metal pot filled with lentil soup.

    This spicy lentil soup with bacon recipe is an adaptation of the one my mom has always made, so I have a special place in my heart for it. I grew up with very thick lentil soup, but I (very) recently became aware that some varieties are more broth-y. There’s a time in the recipe in which a second wave of broth is added, so if you’re in the broth-y camp you can add as much broth or broth/water as you like. I’m sticking to this t-h-i-c-k version though.

    There are only seven ingredients in this spicy lentil soup, but that’s because I kept it simple on the vegetable front. I just added chopped onion, BUT if you’d prefer, you can add some chopped celery and carrot along with the onion. We were having some snow when I made this soup and was in serious need for some produce replenishing, so onion and onion alone it was.

    Now for the spice! Brian is from Maryland, so any food in which I can sneak Old Bay is greatly appreciated. It has such a knack for providing a depth of spicy/salty flavor. Plus it keeps things simple by only having to measure out one spice.

    A ladle lifting out lentil soup from the pot.

    Lots of soup recipes yield plenty of servings, but since we’re a household of two (and our freezer is perpetually stocked to the brim), this soup has about four servings. Feel free to double it if you’d like a greater yield!

    A bowl of lentil soup topped with crumbled bacon with a spoon in it.

    Spicy Lentil Soup with Bacon

    A pot of spicy lentil soup with bacon is a warming and healthy meal option fit for chilly nights or anytime. Old Bay seasoning adds a kick, with bacon rounding out the flavor for this satisfying soup recipe.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 336kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 medium onion, diced
    • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 48 oz reduced-sodium beef broth, divided (see note)
    • 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
    • 4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Sort and rinse lentils.
    • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until onion is golden.
    • Add 32 oz (4 cups) of beef broth and stir, reserving the remaining 2 cups of broth for later. Add lentils and Old Bay and stir.
    • Raise heat so that soup comes to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low, letting the soup simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
    • After 30 minutes or so the broth will have reduced a fair amount, so add in the remaining 16 oz of broth and bacon crumbles. Stir and let simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally. In total the soup should simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the lentils have softened. Serve.

    Notes

    One on occasion I only had one 32 oz carton of beef broth, so for the second wave of adding broth to the soup, I used 16 oz of reduced-sodium chicken broth. The flavor was great! No problems at all with mixing beef/chicken.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 1113mg | Potassium: 591mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 4.9mg
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer

     

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    Comments

    1. Molly Kumar says

      February 26, 2018 at 9:58 am

      5 stars
      We love lentils and this would be a great option for a weeknight meal with garlic bread. I love how easy it is to make lentils n it adds so much flavor n protein.

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 26, 2018 at 3:20 pm

        Thanks Molly! Garlic bread sounds like a great pairing. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    2. Amanda says

      February 25, 2018 at 9:50 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve never used Old Bay for anything but seafood, but this sounds intriguing! The lentils look to be that perfect creamy texture! Delicious!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        February 26, 2018 at 3:21 pm

        Love thick and creamy lentil soup. The Old Bay definitely gives it a unique flavor! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    3. Sues says

      March 16, 2017 at 8:58 am

      I love when it’s possible to make dinner that’s both healthy AND the ultimate comfort food. This looks perfect… Especially for this freezing cold New England weather we’re currently experiencing!

      Reply

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