Amazing lentil soup

This soup is so good!  I serve it with a crusty garlic bread good for scooping.

This is one of my favorite recipes- I cook it all the time.  Not only does it have a subtle flavor that has to be tasted to be appreciated, the ingredients are mostly pantry staples that I always have on hand.  Also, with only me and my husband, there are always leftovers for the next day! 

The source of the recipe:
The recipe was created by America's Test Kitchen.  This group of cooks and food scientists put out several magazine publications: Cooks Illustrated, Cooks Country, Entertaining... Each recipe has an accompanying article describing the finer points about technique and preparation, as well as explanations for ingredients used. 
The magazines are also completely advertisement free!

Where you can get the recipe:
You can find these monthly or quarterly magazines at some grocery stores, and certainly at a bookstore like Barnes and Nobles. 

Perhaps a better option for you is a monthly membership online, where you have access to all the recipes published over twelve years, plus handy tools, search options, etc.  You can visit their website or follow this link to go directly to the soup recipe. 
They offer a free 14 day trial!!

Why use America's Test Kitchen recipes?
I cook almost exclusively with test kitchen recipes.  Why?  The recipes have been, as the name suggests, tested so thoroughly, that they are almost foolproof.  Having cooked for almost 5 years with these recipes, I have only prepared two dishes I did not like.  I cannot recommend them enough!

From foreground back: dried lentils, bacon, diced tomato, thyme, bay leaf, parsley,

garlic, carrot, onion, balsamic vinegar,chicken broth, white wine

1: Crisp the bacon, render the fat

2: Add onions and carrots

4: Add lentils with salt, cover and
let them sweat

3: Add tomatoes and garlic

Add broth and water, let simmer

An important step- to get the right texture, process
some of the stew in a blender.




I encourage you to try this recipe;
I do not think you will be disappointed!