Soups are such a great fall/winter food. They are warm and cozy and typically packed with good things to help keep us healthy. This soup is super hearty and full of great nutritional vegetables and it tastes delicious too. If you want to keep it vegetarian/vegan you can skip the bacon and parmesan.
For this soup I used lentils as the base, because when they cook down they add a thick creaminess to the soup without adding dairy (lot of lactose intolerance over here in our house), and then I added in some butternut squash, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, green beans, and spinach. A little bacon is simmered with the soup that gives it a great smokiness. Topping with parm and bacon really makes the soup feel substantial, although it would still be tasty without it. I served this with some seeded oatmeal bread on the side.
Autumn Lentil Vegetable Soup with Bacon and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 package of bacon diced
- 1 onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups butternut squash cubed
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 cup green beans trimmed and cut into 1 inch sections
- 1 cup red lentils rinsed
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 cup white wine
- 6-8 cups chicken stock
- 1 can butter beans
- 4 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- shaved parm
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until it renders its fat and is crispy. Remove to a paper towel, leaving the fat and about a tbsp chopped bacon. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery to the pot with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes. Add in the spices and herbs and stir. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, then add the stock, lentils, and veggies other than the spinach and bean.
- Simmer for 40 minutes until the squash is fully tender and the lentils are fairly broken down and creamy. Add in the spinach and beans and the lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning and serve with bacon and parm on top.