Instant Pot Bacon Lentil Soup

This Instant pot bacon lentil soup is not only tasty but is also loaded with healthy vegetables. The soup is seasoned with simple herbs which I think go perfectly with the lentil taste.

Looking for more Instant pot Soup recipes? This pressure-cooker bacon lentil soup is the perfect comforting soup for chilly days. This soup is very filling and inexpensive to make! It is also a low-calorie and high-in-fiber soup!

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love this Instant Pot Bacon Lentil Soup recipe
• Ingredients
• How to Make Bacon Lentil Soup in an Instant Pot
• Recipe Tips
• Storage
• How to Reheat the Leftovers
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why You'll Love this Instant Pot Bacon Lentil Soup recipe

• Flavorful. This Instant Pot Bacon Lentil soup is made with fresh vegetables and herbs. The broth has a perfect touch of sweetness from onions, carrots, and leeks!
• Dairy-Free Soup. The soup is made without any dairy products.
• A Low-Calorie Soup. Lentils are high in fiber and complex carbohydrates, while low in fat and calories. For that reason, lentils will fill you up without adding extra calories to your meals!

• Tomato-Free Soup. This soup is made without tomato-based products. The broth is made with a simple clear broth, not a tomato base as most that you'll find. That was one of my main objectives for this recipe as two members of my family don't deal well with acidic recipes and are always searching for other options
• Easy to make. Lentils do not require soaking like other pulses. It requires 10 minutes of cooking time at high pressure!
• Affordable. Lentils are versatile and very inexpensive! Lentils are a staple ingredient in so many recipes from soups to salads!
• Healthy. Lentils are an edible legume and highly nutritious food. They are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
• High in Protein. Lentils are also a good source of protein. A ½ cup serving of cooked lentils provides about 12 grams of protein.

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Ingredients

Here's the list of ingredients you'll need to make Instant Pot Bacon Lentil Soup

• Lentil. Lentil comes in many varieties. For this recipe, I highly recommend using green lentils. Green lentils are a popular ingredient for salad and soup because they hold their shape very well after cooking.
• Bacon, Onion, Garlic, and Leek. I used all of these ingredients to give the soup a rich umami flavor and a subtle sweetness.
• Carrots, Celery, and Green Beans. I added these vegetables to add flavor, texture, and color to the soup.
• Broth. You can use chicken or vegetable broth.
• Thyme. It's the only herb I used to add flavor and aroma to the soup.

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How to Make Bacon Lentil Soup in an Instant Pot

Step 1. Prepare the Lentils

• Remove the debris from the lentil and rinse well.

Step 2. Render the Bacon Fat

• Select the "Saute" setting.
• Add bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp for 5 minutes.

Step 3. Cook the Aromatic Vegetables

• Add leek, onion, and garlic, and cook until soft and translucent for about 5-6 minutes.

Step 4. Cook the Lentils at High Pressure

• Add broth, and lentils, and stir to combine. Add green beans, carrots, and thyme. Place the lid, choose "soup" and set it to "10 minutes".
• Once the cooking is done, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick-release any remaining pressure.

Step 5. Taste It!

• Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with extra salt and pepper if needed. Remove the thyme leaves before serving.

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Recipe Tips

• Canned Lentils. Dried lentils are cheaper than canned ones. However, if you can only find canned lentils in your pantry or market, feel free to use them. Just open the can, rinse for a few minutes, and add them to the instant pot. You may need to reduce the cooking time to 3 minutes on high pressure and reduce the amount of broth (liquid) to 4 cups! Don't worry, if the broth is too little, you can always add extra broth after cooking the soup at high pressure.
• Make it Vegan! To make this soup more vegan-friendly, feel free to skip the bacon. As an alternative, you can use a small amount of oil instead of bacon.

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Storage

Discard any leftover soup that has been left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F. You can learn more here.

• Let the soup cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
• Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container.
• Properly stored, the leftover can last 3-4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.

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How to Reheat the Leftovers

• Place the bacon lentil soup in a saucepan and reheat over medium-low heat until hot.
• Stir frequently and add a small amount of liquid if necessary.
• Alternatively, put the lentil soup in a microwave-safe bowl and reheat at 30-second intervals until hot.

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I hope you'll enjoy this recipe and share it with friends! If you try it and don’t mind, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating. Be sure to subscribe to receive weekly recipes and follow me on Pinterest.

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