Bacon Lentil Soup

It has been absolutely FREEZING in San Diego lately! I was up near the mountains in north county last weekend and actually saw a snowflake. It didn’t stick but still…that counts as a snowy day in my world. Is now a good time to pause for the collective eyeroll from my east coast friends?

Whatever coast you’re on, soup is the perfect meal for a cold day. And bacon lentil soup is THE perfect soup, period. Lentils? Good. Bacon? Even better. Lime juice and curry add an exotic touch to this warm comfort food.

Bacon Lentil Soup
3 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, minced
3 carrots, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
2 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 pound dried lentils
2 quarts chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves

1) Cook the bacon on medium for 5 minutes in a large pot.

2) Add onion and carrots and cook 5 minutes.

3) Add garlic, cumin, chopped ginger, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook for 3 minutes.

4) Add the lentils and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 35 minutes until the lentils are tender.

5) Puree the soup using a hand-held immersion blender until smooth. Add water if soup is too thick.

6) Add the lime juice and parsley and stir to combine.

7) Combine the sour cream and curry powder for topping.

This is another recipe courtesy of my mother-in-law, who is currently busy planning my baby shower! Just one more month until the shower, and then a month until the baby comes. They grow up so fast, don’t they?