Black Lentil Soup with Turkey Meatballs

This Turkey Lentil Soup recipe takes a black lentil soup and tops it with oven-baked turkey meatballs. It’s a cozy meal-in-a-bowl that’s easy enough for a weeknight and took my husband’s attitude from “That doesn’t sound terribly exciting” to “This is the best lentil soup I’ve ever had.”

So read on for all the detailed tips and tricks about black lentils and this made-from-scratch turkey lentil soup recipe – only if you want to. Or just grab some black lentils, hit that purple Jump to Recipe button, and let’s make a turkey meatball bacon lentil soup!

Ingredients

Black lentils

I’m lucky to be part of the Rancho Gordo bean club and recently received a pound of their black lentils (also called Beluga lentils because they resemble caviar). I strongly recommend these small lentils because they stay firm during cooking and kept their texture even after I microwaved the frozen lentil soup for lunch.

My grocery store carries black lentils in the bulk section. But if you can’t find black lentils anywhere and don’t want to order online, I’ve made this turkey lentil soup with both green and brown lentils – just be careful not to cook them until they’re mushy.

Other key soup ingredients

Bacon builds the base flavor for the soup. You’ll render the bacon first, use the fat to cook the soup vegetables, and then split the crisped bacon between the turkey meatballs and the garnish.

Turkey meatballs add more protein – we all love protein these days – and varied texture. Whether it’s for this turkey lentil soup, my turkey meatball stroganoff, or my turkey cranberry meatloaf, I prefer to buy ground turkey with more than 10% fat because it has more flavor.

Lemon at the end is the acid you need to brighten up the soup.

How to riff on this lentil soup recipe

• Just here for a great lentil soup? Skip the meatballs and bacon, saute the vegetables in olive oil, and use veggie broth instead of chicken.
• Make homemade croutons by cutting a stale loaf of bread into cubes, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and bake on an unlined sheet pan until toasty brown.

Recipe tips and tricks

Cook bacon in a large soup pot over medium-low heat until most of the fat has rendered and your bacon is crisp. Let the bacon cool on a paper towel-lined plate and then roughly chop half for garnish and chop the other half finely for the meatballs – I keep the crispest parts for the garnish.

While the bacon is cooling, start on the lentil soup. Cook the onion, carrot, and celery in the bacon fat over medium heat until softened and just starting to brown, about five to seven minutes.

Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for about a minute until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste darkens slightly. Add the white wine, bring it to a boil, and scrape up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Finally, add the black lentils, broth, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and bay leaf. Cover and cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally until the lentils are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Add a half cup of water at a time if the soup is looking dry.

While the black lentil soup simmers, make the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine the finely chopped bacon, ground turkey, egg, panko, garlic, minced sage, salt, and pepper.

Form into small meatballs and bake at 400°F until cooked through to a temperature of 165°F, about 10 minutes. I aim for one tablespoon or smaller meatballs so they’re easy to eat with a spoon!

Once the lentils are tender, add the lemon juice and taste. Add more salt and pepper, lemon juice or a splash of vinegar if the flavor seems dull. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a handful of turkey meatballs and the reserved chopped bacon.

Store any leftover lentil soup separately from the turkey meatballs up to three days in the fridge, or freeze for three to six months. The soup will thicken a bit over time – just add a splash of water or broth when reheating.

Recipe FAQs

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