Kitchen Confidante® Creamy Spinach Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 leek, cleaned and chopped

2 oz pancetta, chopped

4-5 cups spinach, divided

2 cups cooked lentils

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon curry powder

1 sprig thyme

creme fraiche for serving

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the leeks and pancetta, and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the leeks are wilted and the pancetta is fragrant and crispy. Add 3 cups of spinach, lentils, chicken broth, salt, pepper, curry powder and thyme, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, adjusting to taste if necesssary. Retrieve thyme stem if necessary and discard. Carefully pour the soup into a blender (work in batches if necessary, depending on the capacity of your blender bowl), add remaining fresh spinach, and blend until creamy.

Serve immediately with a dollop of creme fraiche.

Notes

I'm all for convenience, especially when making a quick soup such as this. I love having cooked lentils from Trader Joe's on hand. I'll throw it into many dishes, and in this soup, it's wonderful.