Lentil Soup With Bacon

• 3 slices Bacon
• 2 cups Chopped Sweet Onions
• 1 cup Chopped Celery, Plus Chopped Leaves For Garnish
• 1 cup Chopped Carrots
• 4 cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 4 cans (14 1/2 Oz. Size) Low Sodium Beef Broth, Divided
• 1-1/2 cup Dry Lentils, Picked Over, Rinsed And Drained
• 1/2 cups Red Wine
• 1 can (14 1/2 Oz. Size) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 leaf Bay Leaf
• 1/2 teaspoons Dried Thyme
• 1/2 teaspoons Dried Tarragon
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

1. 1. Using kitchen shears, snip bacon into small bits into a large Dutch oven. Fry on medium-high heat until bacon is almost done. Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Saute until vegetables begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
2. 2. Add 3 cans of the beef broth, lentils, red wine, tomatoes with juice, bay leaf, thyme, tarragon and vinegar and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer with the lid on until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
3. 3. Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to the soup in the Dutch oven. Thin soup with the remaining broth adding it by 1/2 cupfuls until desired consistency is attained. Season with salt and pepper and remove bay leaf.
4. 4. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped celery leaves if desired.

bacon, sweet onions, celery, carrots, garlic, dry lentils, red wine, tomatoes, thyme, tarragon, balsamic vinegar, salt

Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/lentil-soup-with-bacon/ (may not work)