Lentil Soup
You can have repletion supplies and health supplies at the same time with Lentil Soup! The unobtrusive lentil is a nutrition powerhouse. This easy soup elevates it into something crave-worthy.
Lentil soup starts with whiffy vegetables and herbs at its base, slowly sautéed to build up ramified flavor.
Broth and lentils marry in creating a pot of hug-you-from-the-inside bliss.
While it perhaps sounds simple and is not the most photogenic, this traditional lentil soup recipe tastes phenomenal AND it’s good for you.
I have cooked and served lentil soup to many friends who all raved, and it’s one of my go-to weeknight dinners.
Cozy, warming, and satisfying, lentil soup is unconfined for feeding a crowd, or for curling up with you and Netflix.
I’ve experimented with several versions and cooking methods, including Crockpot Lentil Soup, Instant Pot Lentil Soup, and Curry Lentil Soup.
Choose your favorite savor profile and method; you really can’t go wrong!
Lentils Are Good Luck?
Well, if you are Italian, you might think so anyway. Italians have a tradition of eating lentils on New Year’s Eve for good luck. With the unappetizing legumes said to resemble Roman coins, eating lentils was thought to bring wealth and prosperity. So if you are in Italy, or want to pretend you are, this lentil soup recipe would be a wise nomination for New Years Eve!
Why Lentil Soup is Healthy
Lentils are a power-house of vitamins, protein, and fiber.
- Vitamins. Lentils may be small in size, but they are mighty in nutrients! Lentils boast B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and iron. On top of the lentils, you are getting loads of vitamins from the veggies moreover in the soup.
- Protein. Just half a cup of cooked lentils contains 9 grams of protein. This soup is a solid meal for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.
- Fiber. Carrots and lentils are both unconfined webbing sources. There are 8 grams of webbing in a half cup of cooked lentils! The webbing coupled with the protein will really fill you up and make you finger satisfied.
Enjoy servings of vegetables in each bowl.
This soup contains a colorful mix of veggies, providing diverse vitamins and succulent flavors to boot.
How to Make Lentil Soup
This easy lentil soup recipe is a stovetop version that boasts warm Italian flavors.
No soaking of lentils is required.
You’ll have it ready in less than an hour!
The Ingredients
- Veggies. Any good soup starts with the holy grail of slowly sautéed onions, garlic, and carrots.
- Herbs & Spices. Fresh thyme and bay leaf enhance the earthiness of the lentils and overall warmth of the dish.
- Tomatoes. Bust out those pantry staples; it’s soup season. The tomatoes add to the goop savor and liquid needed to melt the lentils.
Tip!
Make sure to be patient with the tomatoes’ simmering time. In this case, wrenched lanugo tomatoes make for happy soup considering you don’t skip any potential savor building.
- Lentils. You once heard my spiel on how healthy and wondrous lentils are (we love them in Instant Pot Lentil Curry too!). Variegated types of lentils have variegated savor distinctions. This soup works well with brown or untried lentils (also tabbed lentils de puy).
The Best Lentils for Soup
When making soup, segregate firmer lentils that hold their shape during a longer simmer-time. Brown or untried lentils work well.
Red lentils and yellow lentils are very delicate, so while they are unconfined for quick-cooking recipes like dal, they wilt mushy in soup.
Tip!
You should rinse your lentils prior to cooking considering it removes any dirt or debris.
- Broth. Vegetable goop keeps this dish vegetarian, but yellow goop could be used otherwise. Use low sodium to alimony the soup from getting too salty.
- Kale. This trendy veg is here to stay. A sturdy leafy green, it is platonic for soups considering it holds up.
- Sherry Vinegar. One of the final notes that really brings this soup symphony to life.
- Red Pepper Flakes. Optional, but I like it for a bit of heat.
- Honey. To wastefulness out the venom and round it all out.
- Parmesan. Freshly grated Parmesan is stirred in at the end to add some creamy, cheesy delightfulness, plus increasingly to top your trencher and make you smile and finger fancy. To make the lentil soup vegan, simply omit it.
Tip!
Next time you shave up some fresh parm, save your rind! They make unconfined additions to soups for widow savor and depth. If you do have one, add it while the soup simmers and remove surpassing serving.
Add Some Salary If You Please
Bacon is not an ingredient in the recipe as stated, but could be widow to level up the savor (if you are not concerned well-nigh making the soup vegetarian of course).
- Cut salary into pieces, and start the recipe by browning the salary in your pot.
- Once cooked, remove salary to plate, then add it when in at the end.
- Sauté vegetables in the salary drippings remaining in pot.
The Directions
- Sauté onion.
- Add garlic, carrots, thyme, seasoning.
- Add tomatoes and simmer.
- Add lentils, broth, and bay leaves. Gently simmer until lentils are tender.
- Puree soup transiently with immersion blender.
- Stir in kale, vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes. Partially imbricate the pot and melt kale. Stir in Parmesan. Serve hot with a sprinkle of Parmesan. ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Lentils soup will last for up to 5 days in refrigerator, stored in snapped container.
- To Reheat. Reheat in Dutch oven on stove on medium-low heat until hot, or in microwave.
- To Freeze. Unconfined for a freezer meal, this soup can be stored in airtight, freezer-safe storage container (I love using Ziplock tons and laying them unappetizing to freeze) for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator surpassing reheating.
Meal Prep Tip
Veggies can be prepped in whop to save on cooking time the day of. Peel and chop carrots and garlic, then store in container in fridge the day surpassing cooking the lentil soup.
What to Serve With Lentil Soup
While the soup in itself is a well-constructed and filling meal, a salad and/or specie would make for a archetype combo.
- Bread. I think you gotta have specie with soup to dip and mop. Crock Pot Bread would work wonderfully.
- Salad. Try this soup with a side of Arugula Salad, Winter Salad or Beet Salad.
- Simple Protein. Try Air Fryer Yellow Breast or Baked Salmon in Foil.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Dutch Oven. I love mine so much it has a name. This is moreover a unconfined option and easier on the wallet.
- Wooden Spoon. My preferred tool for sautéing and stirring.
- Ladle. Serve it up!
The Best Dutch Oven
A high-quality Dutch oven will melt abreast you for a lifetime. It’s oven-safe, so you can use it for recipes like this one that need to be transferred from stovetop to oven and when again.
Health and taste are not mutually exclusive.
Grab a big bowl, and lift a spoon to your wellbeing and comfort!
Frequently Asked Questions
There are many lentil varieties misogynist and suitable for lentil soup. Use a firmer lentil, such as brown or green. I do not recommend red lentils for lentil soup as they unravel lanugo easily, making the soup mushy.
Yes! Lentils are a legume.
No. You do not need to soak the lentils surpassing subtracting them to the soup. Lentils are quick-cooking and don’t need a presoak the way increasingly hearty legumes like beans do.
Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion cut into ¼-inch dice
- 6 garlic cloves minced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme tied together with kitchen twine (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground woebegone pepper
- 4 medium carrots scrubbed and cut into ½-inch dice (peeling is optional)
- 1 15-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes in their juices
- 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup brown or untried lentils rinsed with any shriveled lentils discarded
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cups stemmed and chopped kale
- 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey or granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1/4 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan plus spare for serving (omit or swap nutritional yeast to make vegan)
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or similar large, sturdy soup pot, heat the oil over medium low. Add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very soft and turning browned, well-nigh 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, carrots, thyme sprigs, salt, and woebegone pepper. Melt until the carrots are barely soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the diced and crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and let simmer 2 minutes.
- Add the lentils and stir to coat. Add the goop and bay leaves. Increase the heat to upper and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially imbricate the pot and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Let simmer, adjusting the heat as needed so the lentils simmer gently but do not boil, until the lentils are tender but not mushy, well-nigh 25 minutes. Fish out and discard the bay leaves and thyme bundle.
- With an immersion blender, puree the soup transiently to thicken it up a little but leave plenty of the lentils and vegetables intact (or you can transfer well-nigh 2 big ladlefuls to a blender, puree, then return to the soup).
- Stir in the kale, vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes. Partially imbricate the pot, and let melt over low until the kale is tender, well-nigh 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan. Taste and retread the seasoning as desired. Enjoy hot with a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Notes
- TO STORE: Lentils soup will last for up to 5 days in refrigerator, stored in snapped container.
- TO REHEAT: Reheat in Dutch oven on stove on medium-low heat until hot, or in microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Unconfined for a freezer meal, this soup can be stored in airtight, freezer-safe storage container (I love using Ziplock tons and laying them unappetizing to freeze) for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator surpassing reheating.
Nutrition
More Healthy and Comforting Soups
READ: Lentil Soup
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