Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup – a family favourite!

Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup is a delicious combination of carrots, parsnip, leeks, red lentils, bacon and orange juice. 

Garnished with grated Cheddar cheese and chopped parsley, this hearty soup makes the perfect nutritious family meal for cold winter nights.

History of Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup

This winter lentil soup recipe was originally pulled from a TV Times magazine recipe booklet, where various stars gave their favourite recipes. 

One such recipe was from Glenda McKay, who played Rachel Hughes in Emmerdale from 1988 to 1999. 

Over the years, I slightly adapted Glenda’s soup, and it went on to become the first recipe post on Fab Food 4 All, published on March 20, 2012.

The original recipe is so old that it called for rinded streaky bacon. When did you last see a bacon rind? I imagine many readers have never seen it!

Clinging onto nostalgia, the post had sat there with its terrible, solitary photograph of overcooked soup as a reminder of how far I’d come. I even used frozen parsley to garnish it, which looked awful!

I can’t remember anyone saying they’d ever made it, and who could blame them!

Hence, I decided to update Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup as it’s the best lentil soup in my family’s and my opinion!

The addition of bacon and orange juice makes this a hearty lentil soup with a sweet, citrusy tang that sets it apart from the rest. 

Garnished with plenty of Cheddar cheese and parsley, all you need is some crusty bread for a filling meal.

How to Make the Best Winter Lentil Soup

Find the full instructions at the bottom of the page.

Equipment Needed

• Wooden chopping board
• Cook’s knife
• Measuring jug
• Citrus squeezer
• Box grater
• Large saucepan with lid (I use a Wok-style pan)
• Wooden spoon

Ingredients

• Onion – finely chopped.
• Carrots – peeled and cut into chunks.
• Parsnip – peeled and cut into chunks.
• Leeks – washed and sliced. 
• Streaky bacon (nitrite-free) – finely chopped.
• Extra virgin olive oil – single-source is best, eg Puglian.
• Red lentils – not brown or green.
• Tomato puree – known as tomato paste in the US.
• Vegetable or Chicken stock – I make it with Dr Coy’s Organic Bouillon.
• Orange juice – freshly squeezed, preferably organic (check out the chemicals added to oranges).
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  Garnish:
• Fresh parsley (flat or curled) – finely chopped.
• Mature Cheddar cheese, grated.

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a deep pan and fry the bacon until browned.
   
2. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.
3. Add diced onion to the pan and gently fry over low heat to soften. Reserve with bacon.
   
4. Over medium heat, add the remaining oil, carrots, parsnips, and leeks, and stir for 2 minutes. 
   
5. Return the bacon and onion to the pan and add red lentils.
   
6. Stir in tomato puree (paste) and stock.
   
7. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 25 minutes or until the red lentils and vegetables are tender.
8. Stir in orange juice and season.
   
9. Ladle into bowls and garnish with grated cheese and chopped parsley.
   

Substitutions

Ring the changes with the following substitutions:

• Red onions can be used as an alternative if you don’t have brown onions.
• Back bacon is just as good as streaky bacon, and you can even use smoked bacon. Just be sure to use nitrite-free bacon.
• The carrot and parsnip can be substituted with butternut squash and turnip or other fresh vegetables.
• Use clementine juice in place of orange juice.
• Instead of extra virgin olive oil, use extra virgin avocado oil.
• Try snipped chives or other fresh herbs in place of chopped parsley.
• Cheddar cheese can be substituted with grated Parmesan cheese.

Serving Suggestions

Serve Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup with crusty bread such as:

• Easy Slow Cooker Sourdough Sandwich Bread 
• Slow Cooker Sourdough Bread 
• Easy Danish Sourdough Ryebread (great toasted) 
• Easy Cheesy Jalapeno Soda Bread 
• Walnutty Wholemeal Bread 
• Easy Cheesy Chill Cob 
• Za’atar & Olive Focaccia

More Winter Soup Recipes

Here are some more delicious winter soups you should try once you’ve made Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup:

• Curried Root Vegetable Soup
• Curried Parsnip & Coriander Soup
• Leftover Winter Vegetable Soup
• Lentil & Ham Soup
• Lamb, Vegetable & Lentil Soup with Cabbage
• Scottish Red Lentil & Barley Soup 

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

I’m sure you’ll love this winter lentil vegetable soup as much as my family does. 

Just remember to keep the vegetables chunky.

It’s the contrast of the mushy red lentils against the chunks of vegetables, the bits of bacon and the sweetness from the orange juice that make this soup so special.

My husband once made it and cut the vegetables up too finely, and it completely ruined it. 

He was never allowed to make it again LOL!

Pin Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup recipe for later:

Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.

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Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup

A cosy winter soup that includes red lentils, chunks of carrot and parsnip, sliced leeks, streaky bacon and orange juice. Glenda's Winter Lentil Soup is a hearty meal when topped with grated cheese and parsley and served with crusty bread.

Course Lunch, Main

Cuisine British

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 37 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 6

Author Camilla Hawkins

Equipment

• 1 Digital scale
• 1 cook’s knife
• 1 Vegetable peeler
• 1 Wooden chopping board
• 1 Measuring jug
• 1 Set of measuring spoons
• 1 Large saucepan (or wok)
• 1 Citrus squeezer
• 1 ladle

Ingredients

• 1 onion finely diced
• 2 carrots peeled & cut into chunks
• 1 large parsnip peeled & cut into chunks
• 2 leeks washed, trimmed & sliced
• 4 rashers of streaky bacon (nitrite free) finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 225 g / 8 oz red lentils rinsed
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree (paste) heaped
• 1.1 Litre / 2pts chicken or vegetable stock I use organic bouillon
• 1 large orange, juiced (organic best)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

• mature Cheddar cheese grated
• fresh parsley finely chopped

Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan/wok and fry the bacon until browned.
• Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.
• Add diced onion to pan and gently fry over low heat to soften. Reserve with bacon.
• Over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, chopped carrots, parsnip, and leeks, and stir for 2 minutes.
• Return the bacon and onion to the pan and add the red lentils.
• Stir in tomato puree (paste) and stock.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 25 minutes or until the red lentils and vegetables are tender.
• Stir in orange juice, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with grated Cheddar cheese and chopped parsley.  Then serve with crusty bread.

Video

Notes

Be sure to keep your vegetables nice and chunky!

If you can use all organic produce in this soup, that would be great. If you can’t, I would definitely recommend using at least an organic orange, as ordinary oranges are doused in nasty chemicals these days.  Just read the label on the net, they come in, and I think you’ll be shocked!