Thursday, October 28, 2010

BLT Soup

The weather is turning cool again, so it's time for something hot for lunch! And what better combination is there than a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich transformed into a delicious soup (and served with a grilled cheese sandwich-- try some flavorful Mexican queso chihuahua on that sandwich for an added treat).

This is a spectacularly simple soup to make, full of flavor, and both kids and adults love it. What more can you ask?

There are a lot of BLT Soup recipes available online, but this is the one I concocted one day with ingredients on hand, and it worked out very well so I kept it. I hope you'll like it, too!

BLT SOUP:
Serves about 6

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb. bacon
  • 6 roma tomatoes, diced
  • 2 Cups shredded romaine lettuce (or the lettuce of your choice)
  • 5 Cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 leek, thoroughly rinsed to remove dirt, then sliced
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • About 1 Cup shredded cheese (Pepper Jack is good)
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Directions:

In a large soup pot cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Discard all but about 2 Tablespoons of the drippings.

Over medium heat, saute the garlic and sliced leek in the pan drippings until soft, but not brown. About 8 minutes.

Add the broth, tomatoes, Worcestershire, pepper and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls, top with crumbled bacon, shredded cheese and lettuce, and serve immediately.

Buen provecho!

If you have a favorite recipe for a Mexican or Mexican-inspired dish, I'd love to add it to our recipe box! email lahuerita2@gmail.com (and put "recipe" in the subject box so I'll know what it's about)
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -Mark Twain