Weekend lunch on a crisp Autumnal day calls for something like this lentil and pancetta soup. Flavour to the maximum and extremely healthy vegetables and pulses make this a delicious healthy dish for a starter or lunch with crusty bread.
Lentil and pancetta soup perfect autumnal delight
Soup and Bread is going back to basics, use good ingredients and get great results. This soup takes the classic flavours to a whole new level, you can use bacon instead of pancetta. The depth of flavour will be lost slightly but why not try both and see which you prefer!
Lentil and Pancetta Soup
Cuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes1
hour10
minutesIngredients
1 tsp Vegetable Oil
60g Pancetta, finely diced
100g Onion, finely chopped
180g Carrots, peeled and finely chopped
150g Celery, trimmed and finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Bay Leaf
275g Red Lentils
1.6L Chicken Stock
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme
400g Chopped Tinned Tomatoes
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
Directions
- Add the onions and carrot to a pan with a little oil, cook until softened, when soft add the celery and cook until very tender.
- Add the thyme, bay leaf, stock, tomatoes, seasoning and stir and bringing it to a gentle simmer. Add the lentils to the pan and then cook for and cook for 25 minutes, remove the bay leaf.
- With a immersion stick blender make the soup as chunky or as smooth as you like.
- Cook the pancetta in a pan over a moderate heat until the fat has rendered out and the pancetta is slightly crispy, ours is already fairly dry so we’d recommend a very gentle heat and cook for just a moment of two.
- Ladle into warmed bowls and add the pancetta to the top, scatter with any herbs you might have on hand, perhaps a little fresh parsley and ground black pepper. Eat straight away with some crusty bread.
