Lentil Soup with Pasta, Bacon, and Garlic

This tomato sauce starts with tomatoes simmered with chopped carrot, celery, onion, and salt. Olive oil goes in after the first simmer, and the sauce cooks a little longer before it is seasoned and used with pasta.

The base starts with bacon and aromatics cooked until deeply colored, then tomatoes cook until the fat separates. Lentils simmer until tender, pasta cooks in the same pot, and the soup is finished with Romano and a spoonful of olive oil.

This lentil soup starts with onion and pancetta cooked until deeply golden, then tomatoes simmer to build the base. Lentils cook gently in broth until tender, and the soup is finished with butter and Parmigiano.

Lentil Soup with Pasta, Bacon, and Garlic

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Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Dish

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

Main Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp (30 ml) for cooking, plus more for stirring into the soup
• 1/4 lb bacon chopped very fine 115 g
• 1/2 cup chopped onion 120 ml
• 2 tsp chopped garlic 10 ml
• 1/3 cup chopped celery 80 ml
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley 30 ml
• 1/3 cup fresh ripe, firm tomatoes, skinned raw with a peeler, all seeds removed, and chopped (80 ml), OR canned Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice (80 ml)
• 1 cup dried lentils 240 ml
• Salt
• Black pepper ground fresh from the mill
• 1 1/2 cups short tubular soup pasta (360 ml)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated romano cheese 60 ml

Equipment

• Pot
• Skillet

Method

 

1. Use a saucepan large enough to hold the lentils and pasta with enough water to cook them. Add 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, bacon, onion, garlic, celery, and parsley. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the vegetables are deeply colored, about 15 minutes. Add tomato, stir to coat, and cook a few minutes until the fat separates from the tomato.
2. Add the lentils, turning them a few times to coat. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch (2.5 cm). Simmer gently until the lentils are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes, adding water as needed to keep the level.
3. Add salt and several grindings of pepper, add the pasta, and raise heat to a brisk boil. Add more water if needed. Cook until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, keeping the soup on the dense side.
4. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese and about 1 tbsp olive oil, mix well, then take off heat and serve at once.

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