Homemade lentil soup

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 500 g lentils (dry, brown, without soaking)
• 1 ¾ liters of water
• 100 g bacon, diced
• 1 bunch of soup vegetables (carrot, celery, leek, parsley), very finely diced
• 1 medium-sized onion(s), finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove(s), finely chopped
• 2 tsp, leveled salt
• ¼ tsp, levelled black pepper
• ½ tsp oregano, dried
• 400 g tomatoes, chunky, from the can
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, or dark balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 9 hours; Total time approx. 9 hours 30 minutes

a recipe for the crockpot (slow cooker)

Briefly rinse the lentils in a sieve and add them to a 5.5-liter crockpot with the remaining ingredients (except the tomatoes, sugar, and vinegar) and 1 3/4 liters of water. Cover and simmer on “low” (not the keep-warm setting—it’s better to set it to “medium”) for about 8 hours. Then add the canned tomatoes and, if necessary, add a little water so that the lentil soup is just covered. Season to taste with a little salt, pepper, the sugar, and the vinegar. Re-cover and heat on “high” for about another hour. This goes perfectly with sausages and fresh farmhouse bread. Tip: The bacon can also be seared in a pan beforehand. I always leave the vinegar on the table so each guest can season their dish to taste.