Lentil, Kale and Bacon Soup

We are having another rainy, windy and dreary day here in Portland which means it's time for more soup. I grabbed some steamed lentils from Trader Joe's along with some fresh kale to make a hearty but healthy lentil soup. There is something so comforting about a big bowl of hot soup on a cold and wet day. This recipe was easy to prepare and it smelled delicious while cooking. It was a big hit with the whole family...my kids even gobbled up the kale - how great is that?

Lentil, Kale and Bacon Soup:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 5 slices of lean bacon
• 1 small sweet yellow onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 4cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 3/4 tsp cumin
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 7 cups of chicken broth
• 3 cups of prepared lentils
• 2-3 cups of kale, chopped

Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the bacon is cooked, remove and place on a paper towel. Remove all but 1-2 teaspoons of bacon grease from the pan then add the onion, carrots, and celery then sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, cumin, and crushed red pepper; stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, lentils and bay leaf, stir then cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the bay leaf then blend the soup for 30 seconds with an immersion blender, to make the soup a bit thicker; make sure you don't blend too long. Add the fresh chopped kale to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes then serve. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net