Bacon, Onion, and Brown Lentil Skillet

Humble brown lentils are fitting for this homey main dish. Pair with corn bread and sautéed Swiss chard or braised collard greens.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)

Ingredients

• 6  center-cut bacon slices
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1  cup  chopped carrot
• 1  cup  chopped celery
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 6  garlic cloves, minced
• 3  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  cup  dried brown lentils
• 1  cup  water
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add onion to drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add carrot, celery, thyme, and garlic; cook for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add broth, lentils, and 1 cup water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until lentils are just tender. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high; cook 6 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and pepper. Sprinkle with bacon.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

278 (21% from fat)

Fat:

6.4g (sat 2.3g,mono 2.9g,poly 1g)

Protein:

18.6g

Carbohydrate:

38.5g

Fiber:

13.8g

Cholesterol:

11mg

Iron:

5.5mg

Sodium:

534mg

Calcium:

80mg