Italian Lentil Soup

Third trimester. The second trimester has the reputation—that's the one where you feel good, where people say you're glowing, where the nausea is gone and the enormous belly hasn't arrived yet. I did feel good, mostly. But now we're in the third trimester and Liam is running out of room and my body is running out of patience with the whole arrangement.

My back hurts in a new way that the pregnancy books describe as "normal" with the same casual cruelty they apply to all the unpleasant things that turn out to be normal. I'm twenty-nine weeks. The nights are hard—Liam moves at hours that suggest he has no circadian rhythm and no regard for mine. Sean has taken to sleeping slightly diagonally to give me more room, which I notice every morning and say nothing about because I find it quietly devastating in the best way.

Back to work after the holiday stretch and the floor felt heavy the first day. January oncology has a particular quality. The new year offers nothing to a patient fighting cancer in January; the calendar doesn't change the cells. I know this and I show up anyway because showing up is the job and most days the job is enough. I had a patient this week, seventy-one years old, retired librarian, who asked me about the baby and then asked what books I was going to read to it. I said I hadn't thought that far ahead. She made me a list on a piece of paper with a borrowed pen. I have it in my locker.

Lentil soup on Sunday—the thick French kind, with bacon lardons and thyme. I ate it for lunch three days running. The baby kicked every time. Make of that what you will.

That Sunday lentil soup became the only thing I wanted to eat all week — thick enough to hold a spoon up in, smoky from the lardons, quiet with thyme. It’s the kind of recipe that asks almost nothing of you, which is exactly what I needed at twenty-nine weeks with a back that won’t quit and a baby who treats 2 a.m. like a dance floor. Here’s how I made it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

6 ounces thick-cut bacon or pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch lardons
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups French green lentils (lentilles du Puy), rinsed
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Instructions

Render the lardons. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the bacon lardons and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the edges crisp, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer lardons to a paper towel–lined plate, leaving the drippings in the pot.
Build the base. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and the onion is translucent, about 6–7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Add lentils and liquid. Stir in the lentils, diced tomatoes, broth, water, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and partially cover.
Simmer until thick. Cook at a gentle simmer for 30–35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender and the soup has thickened. If it gets too thick, add a splash of water. Remove bay leaves.
Finish and serve. Stir in the salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar. Return the crisped lardons to the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot in deep bowls.

Nutrition (per serving)

Italian Lentil Soup — The Thick, Heavy Kind That Keeps You Going