Herbs de Provence Red Lentil Soup

It seems that lately the Hub and I have been "over-indulging" on the weekends, and by Monday we are fed-up with food (HA, pun intended!). What we both tend to crave on Mondays is a warm soup and a fresh, crispy, crunchy salad. I especially love this soup because it's broth-y but you can thicken it by running an immersion blender through it if you prefer a thick soup. The broth gets it's flavor from a rich homemade chicken stock (although the carton variety is just fine too), a mire-poix of carrots, celery and onions, herbs de Provence, a splash of white wine and turkey bacon. It's homey, warm, satisfying and pretty much ready to eat in under an hour. It's definitely a great weeknight meal!

Serves 2 - 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 package of turkey bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon garlic
1 cup red lentils
2 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced
Handful of celery leaves and parsley, chopped, set aside 2 generous tablespoons
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried herbs de Provence
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fleur de sel, sea salt or kosher salt
Pepper to taste

Heat a deep pan over moderate heat, add olive oil and bacon. Cook bacon until almost crispy. Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic, cook for 5-8 minutes.

Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the 2 tablespoons of chopped celery/parsley leaves. Bring to low boil, stir and simmer covered for 30 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender. Sprinkle the reserved chopped celery/parsley over each serving of soup.

Serve with a crisp, crunch salad, or crusty french bread. ENJOY!

Recipe Notes:
Sometimes I like to change up this soup by adding one or all of these extra goodies:

• Add greens, such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard
• Add 1/2 orzo, farro, Israeli couscous or quinoa 
• Add 1 cup of 1/4" diced lean ham