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Photo of French lentil soup by WW

French lentil soup

3
Points®
Total Time
1 hr 10 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
50 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Moderate
This warm, hearty soup can be frozen for up to three months, so make a big batch to keep on hand for simple, filling lunches

Ingredients

Olive oil

2 tbs

Brown onion

2 medium, finely chopped

Celery

4 stick(s), thinly sliced

Carrot(s)

3 medium, chopped

Pancetta

45 g, (Buy 50g) fat trimmed

Garlic

3 clove(s), crushed

Tomato(es)

6 medium

Dry lentils

300 g, (1 1/2 cup) French green lentils

Chicken stock

7 cup(s), (1.75L)

Fresh flat-leaf parsley

½ cup(s), finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until softened. Add pancetta and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft and lightly golden. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
  2. Meanwhile, use a small knife to cut a small cross into the base of each tomato. Place tomatoes in a large heatproof bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Set aside for 5 minutes. Using tongs, lift tomatoes from water and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel and discard tomato skins. Remove and discard the cores and roughly chop the flesh.
  3. Add tomatoes to onion mixture and cook for 5–7 minutes or until softened. Add lentils and stock. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes or until lentils are tender. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Notes

TIP: This soup is suitable to freeze. Ladle cooled soup into individual portion-sized airtight containers, leaving a 1–2cm gap at the top for expansion. Label, date and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the microwave or a saucepan. French green lentils, also known as Puy lentils, are small green-blue coloured lentils. They are available in the soup section of most supermarkets.