This Poblano Lentil Soup is a hearty and comforting dish with smoky roasted chile flavor and just the right amount of heat. Tender green lentils simmer in a bright, savory broth until perfectly cooked, creating a soup that’s filling without feeling heavy. Finished with bacon, queso fresco, fresh cilantro, and onion, every bowl has the perfect combination of creamy, smoky, and fresh.

What will you need?

• green lentils
• bacon
• tomatillos
• white onion
• garlic
• jalapeno
• poblano
• cilantro
• oregano
• salt
• chicken stock
• cebollitas
• cilantro and onion, chopped for garnish
• queso fresco, for garnish
• corn tortillas, warmed for serving

How to make it

Add the bacon to a cold large pot. Turn the heat to medium and cook the bacon until done and crispy. I like to start on a cold pot so the bacon fat renders before the bacon cooks. This allows for a more even cook. Remove the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.

To the pot, add in the cebollitas. Sauté until soft and caramelized. About 5 minutes. Remove from the pot. Add in the tomatillos, poblano, jalapeno, and onion. Sauté until everything softens and started to get some color. About 10 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook 1 minute.

Add everything from the pot to a blender, leaving as much of the bacon fat in the pot as you can. We will use this to fry the sauce after blending. Add oregano, and cilantro to the blender and blend until smooth.

With the pot still at a medium heat, pour in the blended sauce and fry in the bacon fat for 30 seconds. Rince the blender out with 1 cup of water and pour it into the pot. Add in the lentils and chicken stock and mix. Mix in the cebollitas and salt and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 40 minutes until the lentils are nice and soft. Taste for salt.

To serve, ladle in some lentil soup into a bowl. Add in a cebollita. Top with bacon, cilantro, onion, and queso fresco. Serve with warm corn tortillas. Hope you enjoy!

Poblano Lentil Soup

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Zachary Rodriguez Course: MainCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Ingredients

• 14 oz green lentils, rinsed

• 1/2 lb bacon, diced

• 4 cebollitas

• 8 tomatillos, husked and washed

• 1 jalapeno, stem removed

• 1 poblano, stem and seeds removed

• 1/2 white onion

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 cup water

• 4 cups chicken stock

• 2 tsp salt

• cilantro and onion, chopped for serving

• queso fresco, for serving

• corn tortillas, warmed for serving

Directions

• Add the bacon to a cold large pot. Turn the heat to medium and cook the bacon until done and crispy. I like to start on a cold pot so the bacon fat renders before the bacon cooks. This allows for a more even cook. Remove the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
• To the pot, add in the cebollitas. Sauté until soft and caramelized. About 5 minutes. Remove from the pot. Add in the tomatillos, poblano, jalapeno, and onion. Sauté until everything softens and started to get some color. About 10 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook 1 minute.
• Add everything from the pot to a blender, leaving as much of the bacon fat in the pot as you can. We will use this to fry the sauce after blending. Add oregano, and cilantro to the blender and blend until smooth.
• With the pot still at a medium heat, pour in the blended sauce and fry in the bacon fat for 30 seconds. Rince the blender out with 1 cup of water and pour it into the pot. Add in the lentils and chicken stock and mix. Mix in the cebollitas and salt and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 40 minutes until the lentils are nice and soft. Taste for salt.
• To serve, ladle in some lentil soup into a bowl. Add in a cebollita. Top with bacon, cilantro, onion, and queso fresco. Serve with warm corn tortillas. Hope you enjoy!