Chef John’s Black Lentil Soup
Black ‘beluga’ lentils cook up for a tender, melt-in-you-mouth soup in Chef John’s recipe for black lentil soup.
Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Cook and stir bacon in hot oil until bacon is browned and crisp 5 to 7 minutes.
Add onion carrot celery and salt; cook and stir until onion is softened and translucent about 10 minutes.
Season with black pepper cumin thyme and cayenne pepper.
Pour lentils into bacon mixture and stir to coat completely in rendered bacon fat.
Add chicken broth and bay leaf; bring to a simmer reduce heat to low and cook adding more chicken broth as needed until lentils are tender 45 minutes to 1 hour.