Lentil and Bacon Soup

Money’s pretty low at the moment, one too many evenings at the student’s union have bled my bank account dry, so I’ve been trying to be as thrifty as possible with my meals lately. Soups are a great way of using up scraps of veg from the fridge and pulses lingering in the cupboards, and can also easily turn boring cheap foods into a tasty dishes. Although some people (mostly by better half) moan that soup isn’t filling enough to constitute a main meal, the lentils and potatoes in this chunky soup recipe definitely won’t leave any rumbling tummies. Using a small amount of bacon lardons means that you save money but don’t miss out on any of the flavour! This recipe is quick and easy too, so even you lazy student’s out there can whip something up to be proud of.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

•         1 onion
•          2 garlic cloves
•          250g potatoes
•          75g bacon lardons
•          300ml chicken stock
•          75g dried red lentils
•          Salt and pepper

Method:

Start by slicing the onion and crushing the garlic, before adding them to a splash of oil in a large pan. Cook the onions and garlic on a medium heat for around 5 minutes, until the onion starts to brown. Whilst they’re cooking, peel and chop the potatoes into bite size chunks.

Add the bacon lardons and cook for a further 5 minutes, keeping all the ingredients moving around the pan with a wooden spoon. Then add the stock, lentils and a good measure of salt and pepper to the pan and bring to the boil.

Once the stock is boiling, turn down the heat to a simmer. Cook for around 15 minutes until the lentils are soft, then whizz all the ingredients with a stick blender until smooth. Serve with some crusty bread and butter.