Oven-Cooked Lentil Soup Recipe ♥

Chop-chop, then just leave it in the oven for five hours
Today's soup recipe: Hearty lentil soup, slow cooked right in the oven at a low heat. A great option for anyone who doesn't have a slow cooker.

Does this soup look worth trading, say, for apple pie?

That was the deal, a piece of American Apple Pie for the recipe for this oven-cooked lentil soup, all in fun, of course, since the recipe holder (hi, Rass!) was getting pie anyway and the pie-maker (me) often swaps recipes with Rass and his wife, dear family friends for more than 50 years.

And Rass' lentil soup is a good one! It takes some knife work to get started, then is left in the oven for a perfect five hours. What comes out is perfectly cooked, hot and hearty, steamy and spicy, utterly delicious. It's perfect for cold winter days.

MAKE IT A MEAL Soup and hot bread, yes? Think about pairing the lentil soup with Weeknight-Easy Rolls.

OVEN-COOKED LENTIL SOUP

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 5 1/2 hours
Makes 10 cups

1/2 pound smoked ham, cubed
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut in small cubes (the bacon in my fridge was iffy so I skipped it, but know from tasting Rass' own soup that bacon contributes to the soup's heartiness)

2 tablespoons olive oil (I'd recommend skipping this if using the bacon but Rass cooks the bacon in the oil)
1 large onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, sliced thin in 'coins'
14 ounces canned diced tomato
14 ounces canned tomato sauce
1 cup red wine (Rass fills one of the cans halfway, then sploshes it around to rinse)

1 cup lentils (Rass uses brown lentils which are softer and a little bit creamier, I used what was on hand, black lentils from Trader Joe's which are 'meatier' and hold their shape better but are less creamy)

2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried parsley (I skipped this)
Salt & pepper to taste

4 cups beef bouillon (I had some beef broth on hand, mixed it with chicken)

Turn oven to 250F.

In a large oven-safe pot such as a Dutch oven, start cooking the bacon, add the onion, celery, green pepper and garlic as they're prepped, stirring often to distribute the fat. Then, as Rass says, "Chuck everything into the kettle, stir it up and put into the oven (covered) for five hours."

Hmmm. As I read his instructions carefully now, I realize that Rass doesn't cook the onion-celery-etc with the bacon but instead cooks the bacon on its own, then "chucks the rest in". Rass makes a mean lentil soup, you won't go wrong with his method!


A Veggie Venture - Printer Friendly Recipe Graphic



MORE LENTIL RECIPES
~ Lentil Salad with Tomatoes, Dill & Basil ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Two-Way Lentil Skillet ~
~ Lentil Soup Vincent ~
from Kitchen Parade





Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes. © Copyright 2007


Save Oven-Cooked Lentil Soup Recipe ♥ on social network:

Followers

Archive

  • Individual Pizzas... Family cooking: These are so much fun! It was really fun for Bryce to roll out the dough and put toppings on the...
  • Cinnamon Rolls... Family cooking: These are perfect to give away to your neighbors and friends for the holidays and boy are they...
  • Amber's Chicken Pot Pie... Family cooking: 1/3 c. butter1/3 c. flour2 garlic cloves, minced¼ t. pepper½ t. salt2/3 c. milk1 ½ c. water2 t....
  • Ugly Dip... Family cooking: 2 avacados2 ½ tomatoes1 cans black beans2 green onions1 can corn, drained¼ bottle Italian...
  • Shrimp Appetizer... Family cooking: 1 large pkg cream cheese1 can small shrimp1 bottle chili saucePut cream cheese in the middle of a...
  • Keri's White Brownies... Family cooking: 4 large eggs2 ¼ c. brown sugar1 t. salt1 t. vanilla1 t. cinnamon1 c. chopped nuts2 c. flourMix...
  • White Chicken Chili... Family cooking: 5 (15 oz.) cans Great Northern beans5 cans chicken broth (8 c. or ½ gal.)2 large white onions1 tsp....
  • Tator Tot Casserole... Family cooking: 1 pkg tator tots1 lb. hamburger1 med. OnionSalt and pepper2 cans cream of mushroom soup1 c....