Do you like lentils but hate that they are so darn healthy? Do you need to keep your vegetarian room-mate out of your fridge-space? Do you just love bacon and are looking for more excuses to eat it? Is it your dream to sautee vegetables in bacon grease? I've got the perfect recipe for you!
Bacon and lentils perfectly complement each other. The lentils fill you up and make you feel like you're being healthy, but the bacon gives the dish its wonderful flavor.
We're moving soon and have some leftover ingredients to use up. I saw the bacon in the freezer and the lentils on the shelf, and I knew in my heart that it was meant to be. The Google machine responded to "bacon lentils recipe" with
Emiril's recipe, which looked perfectly simple, fast, and delicious.
In a saute pan over medium high, cook your
- delicious bacon (I used about 8 strips).
I am mildly terrified of bacon splatters, so I covered the pan with a glass lid. Once it crisps up and starts to blacken a bit, add about:
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1/4 cup diced carrot
- 1/4 cup diced celery.
No need to be super-finicky about measuring. It's just cooking. Heck, if your fridge only contains bacon, then just skip the veggies. This is probably the most exciting part, because how often do you get to cook vegetables in bacon grease? I wish I had taken a picture of the pan in order to remember that moment forever.
Once the vegetables start to soften, stir in about
- 2 cups of green lentils
- 4 cups of broth (I used chicken broth)
- 2 bay leaves.
Let that simmer until the lentils are done. Optional: cut the bacon up with a food scissors. Then feast!
