Total Pageviews

Sunday 9 January 2022

Smoked Pancetta and Lentil Soup


This recipe by Tom Kerridge is a hearty and filling soup, full of vegetables and topped with pancetta. The carbohydrate count may be too high for some readers, so please be sure the recipe fits well with your menu/lifestyle plans. (see a lower carb recipe suggestion, link below)
Each serving provides 428 kcal, 29g protein, 45g carbohydrate, 12g fat, 10g fibre

Ingredients
Serves Six
1 tsp vegetable oil
80g/2¾oz pancetta, finely diced into 5mm/¼in pieces
(Pancetta is an Italian type of bacon produced from pork belly which is seasoned and dry cured.)
1 large onion (about 100g/3½oz), finely chopped
2 carrots (about 200g/7oz), peeled and finely chopped
4 celery sticks (about 150g/5½oz), trimmed and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1.5 litres/2¾ pints chicken stock
400g tin chopped tomatoes
250g/9oz red lentils
250g/9oz (about ½ head) Chinese leaf cabbage or savoy cabbage, shredded
large handful fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, for about 2–3 minutes, or until the fat has rendered and the bacon is golden and crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
2. Add the onion and carrots to the pancetta pan and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the celery and garlic and cook for a further 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the thyme, bay leaf, stock and tomatoes, stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the lentils and cook for 20–25 minutes, or until they are softened. Remove the bay leaf and use a stick blender or food processor to partially blend the soup, keeping a fairly chunky texture.
4. Bring the soup back to a simmer, add the cabbage and cook for 3–4 minutes until wilted. Reheat the pancetta in a small frying pan at the same time.
5. Stir half of the parsley into the soup and ladle into warmed bowls. Serve immediately topped with the pancetta and remaining parsley.
The above from original idea here

Parsley, a herb with health benefits - see here

For those readers who may prefer a lower carb soup, how about a bowl of Cauliflower Soup with Crumbled Pancetta, just 6g net carbs per serving, more details here

Dear reader, this blog brings a variety of articles and recipe ideas, and it is important to note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan

33 comments:

Tom said...

...another hearty soap for a cold winter day.

Martha said...

Delicious and perfect for this time of year! I hope all has been well in your world.

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

The lentil soup looks great, Jan. I also love making soup with cauliflower like your second recipe. I made a chicken soup this week using cauliflower. Thank you for all the inspiration I get from your postings!

Rose said...

That would have been delicious the past couple of days! (Actually would be good any time. But it has been soooo cold.)

Christine said...

Perfect for wintertime.

Conniecrafter said...

So Funny, when I first read your recipe name the first thing that popped in my head was The Young Ones, always eating Lentil soup

DeniseinVA said...

I could do with a bowl of this, looks extremely tasty. Thanks Jan!

Sussi said...

I like lentils very much!

Elephant's Child said...

Hooray for vegie soup. How I wish that more people used vegetable stock though.

Valerie-Jael said...

This sounds good! Happy Sunday, Valerie

eileeninmd said...

The soup sounds delicious, thanks for sharing.
Take care, have a happy Sunday and a great new week!

Iris Flavia said...

I started (also thanks to you and Jamie) using Pancetta just like that and now my new customer might follow!
Yay to this huge community!!

Jo said...

It's definitely soup weather. This one looks very filling.

Rain said...

I'll take lentil soup AND cauliflower soup!!! I used to put bacon in my soups, it always added such a nice flavour!

NanaDiana said...

Sounds good! My hubby loves pancetta. Thanks for the recipe. Happy Sunday- Diana

Debbie said...

sooooo good, i love pancetta!!!

Divers and Sundry said...

Lentil soup is a wintertime favorite here :)

Pam said...

I love a good soup. Yesterday I got a wild hair and made some Brussel Sprout soup. Never in my life have I made that but I love Sprouts! I made this up as I went and it was gooood...

Sue said...

Ooh this looks delicious, you can't beat a good Winter soup! Take care and have a great weekend, Sue xx

Jenn Jilks said...

I do like pancetta!

Alicia said...

Yum! This sounds delicious and it is a cold day in beautiful sunny California. It's 43 degrees Fahrenheit so a great day for soup! I'll have to check to see if we have lentils as I dread going to the store.

Jeanie said...

Sounds so nourishing and delicious for a cold day!

Inger said...

A perfect soup for a chilly winter's day.

Mary Kirkland said...

That sounds great.

sandy said...

Anything with Pancetta is good I imagine. My favorite is Carbonara with pancetta or prosciutto..love it.

William Kendall said...

I have never had lentils.

happyone said...

Looks tasty!!

Kay said...

That looks so yummy! Perfect for a cool day.

kathyinozarks said...

Looks delicious-I haven't made a lentil soup in a long time-sounds good right now

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

EWe like lentils and I often make them either in soup or cold as a salad.

Teresa said...

La receta me parece muy buena. Besos.

https://linsartyblobs.blogspot.com said...

Looks tasty.

Ananka said...

I made a veggie version of this and it was really good, well I think it was haha!