Donβt settle for bland Lentil Soup!Β Make it right and youβll have everyone begging for secondsβ¦.and thirdsβ¦ This lentil recipe is one of the best nourishing, simple dishes you can make with dried lentils thatβs 100% delicious. Use green lentils, red lentils, brown lentils or a lentil soup mix.
All it takes is a hint of spice flavourings, bay leaves and finishing it off with a touch of lemon to elevate this soup. Itβs an easy recipe that delivers terrific results, a 5 star reader favourite with hundreds of feedback from readers!
Want to addΒ some protein? Try this Beef & Lentil Soup!
Lentil Soup
Lentil soup is quite possibly the least sexy sounding soup on the planet.
At least, in my world. Regular readers know that Iβm all about big flavours. Spicy, herby, curries β kapow, kapow, kapow!
But you know what? A well made Lentil Soup recipe is canβt-stop-eating-it good. Youβll go back for seconds and thirds, then youβll be taking big tubs of it to work for lunch and happily have it for dinner again.
And β Iβm going to say it (*head swell*) β plenty of readers have said this is theΒ best lentil soup theyβve ever had!
A well made Lentil Soup recipe is canβt-stop-eating-it good.
Is lentil soup good for you?
If youβre wondering if lentil soup is good for you, the answer isΒ yes!Β Lentils areΒ nutritious, rich in minerals, protein, low in fat, high in fibre (digestive health). They are a terrific vegetarianΒ source of proteinΒ with 25% of the calories in lentils attributable to protein.
Lentils are a carbohydrate, but itβs slow burning which means it keeps you fuller for longer.Β Studies also suggest that lentils are good for heart health.
The added benefit is thatΒ they are low in calories with 116 calories in 1 cup of cooked lentils (which is roughly the amount per serving of this lentil soup).
What does lentil soup taste like?
It tastes savoury and has a flavour boost from a hint of spices. Thereβs an undertone of natural sweetness from the soffritoΒ flavour base of onion, carrot and celery. My favourite part is the texture! Itβs thick and comforting, and just made for dunking in hot crusty bread!
What goes in Lentil Soup
Hereβs what goes in my lentil soup. Nothing fancy, just everyday ingredients.
So what makes this Lentil Soup so good?
A touch of spices.
Cooking the onion, carrot and celery slowly so they sweeten and make a beautiful flavour base.
Lemon βΒ The βsecretβ ingredient.Β Yes really. Little tip I picked up from Ina Garten. Just a bit of zest and squeeze of fresh lemon makes all the difference which takes it from really good to great!
Do you cook lentils before adding to soup?
Nope! Dried lentils cook in 35 minutesΒ in the soup, and thereβs no need to soak them either!
What type of lentils are best for lentil soup?
Dried lentils are best for lentil soup. You can use most types of lentils for this recipe β brown, green, red or yellow, though it will affectΒ the colour of the soup. Iβve used green lentils, pictured below.
The only type of lentil I do not recommend isΒ Puy Lentils (little black French lentils) because they hold their shape and donβt soften like other lentils.
Can you used canned cooked lentils?
Yes you sure can, and directions are provided in the recipe notes. But itβs better made with dried lentils because of the texture in the soup, thereβs only 10 minutes difference in cook time and itβs more economical!
How to make Lentil Soup from scratch
SautΓ© your onion, garlic, carrots and celery overΒ over low heat for almost 10 minutes. Take your time here βΒ the lower the heat, the longer you take, the more these will transform to create an incredible flavour base for the soup!
Add everything else other than the lemon;
Simmer 35 minutes until lentils are soft; and
Finish with a dusting of zest and spritz of lemon.
A hint of lemon earthiness from the zest and touch of freshness from the juice just jazzes up the soup and takes it to that next level!
Youβll find that the lentils mostly breakdown and naturally thicken the soup. But what I like to do to get a really luscious creamy texture is to give the soup aΒ quick whizz with a blender stick (or transfer a couple of cups to the blender) to puree SOME but not all the lentils.
That way you get the benefit of both worlds β creamy soup with soft bits of lentils. YES!
How to store lentil soup
Lentil Soup will easily keep for 5 days in the fridge, making it ideal for cooking on the weekend and serving throughout the week. And it also freezes 100% perfectly for 3 months β even longer!
Every time I make this, I always wonder why I donβt make it more often. Itβs healthy, filling, super economical, freezes perfectly, versatile and itβsΒ seriously good.
Serving this with some sort of warm crusty bread for dunking is not optional.Β ItβsΒ an essential part of the Lentil Soup experience.
But itΒ is optional whether you slather said bread with butter, or grill it with cheese! Β Here are a few options β including making your ownΒ ultra easy homemade bread with NO YEAST:
β Nagi xx
Watch How To Make It
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Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped (white, brown, yellow)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large carrot , chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 2 celery ribs , chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 2 cups / 400g dried lentils , green or brown, rinsed (Note 1)
- 400g / 14 oz crushed tomato
- 1.5 litres / 1.5 quarts (6 cups) vegetable or chicken stock / broth, low sodium
- 1/2 tsp each cumin and coriander powder
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika powder
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 lemon (zest + juice)
- 1/4 tsp salt and pepper, each
To Serve
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- Warm bread, to serve
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes.
- Add celery and carrot. Cook for 7 β 10 minutes or until softened and the onion is sweet. Donβt rush this step, it is key to the flavour base of the soup.
- Add all remaining ingredients except the lemon and salt. Stir.Β
- Increase heat and bring to simmer. Scoop scum on the surface off and discard (do this again during cooking if required). Place lid on and turn heat down to medium low. Simmer for 35 β 40 minutes or until lentils are soft.
- Remove bay leaves.
- Thicken Soup: Using a stick blender, do 2 or 3 quick whizzes to thicken the soup (see video below). Or transfer 2 cups to a blender, let it cool slightly, then hold lid with tea towel and blend then transfer back into pot.
- Add a touch of water if you want to adjust soup consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Grate over the zest of the lemon then add a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve with warm crusty bread slathered liberally with butter!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Recipe originally published March 2017, spruced up with new pics, new video and fresh new writing. Absolutely no change to recipe β itβs been a firm reader favourite from day 1, so IΒ wouldnβt dare touch it!
More totally delicious lentil recipes:
Sexy Lentil Salad β try it, then youβll get the nameβ¦.
Dal β Indian lentil curry. The highest and best use of lentils, full stop!
Coconut Lentil Curry β outrageously addictive, andΒ easyΒ (I make this for a curry fix when I donβt have time for dal)
Mejadra (Middle Eastern Spiced Lentil Rice) β so good you can eat it plain, seriously!
Browse all Beans and Lentil recipes
Life of Dozer
He contributes less than nothing to this household, he actually contributesΒ negative.Β Dropping fur everywhere, shaking vigorously so it flies everywhere along with an inordinate amountΒ of sand, constantly sprawling out in my path so Iβm forced to step over him (remember, Iβm vertically challenged = giant steps).
Giant π© all over the backyard. Barks furiously at tree branches swaying in the breeze but I swear, he would happily show a robber where my jewellery box is in exchange for a pat.
Useless!!! (And yet we love them so much, donβt we? π)
PS Another example of his uselessness β he spends 22 hours a day doing this. The other 2 hours are spent a) eating b) hoping to eat c) playing.
My good friend made me a pot of this when I came home from hospital. So delicious and flavoursome and hearty! I asked her for the recipe β she said itβs Nagiβs β of course it is! π
I donβt like coriander seed, so I omitted it, added more cumin, a bit of curry powder and turmeric, and still needed to up the base note with a bit of (sighβitβs what I had) Worcestershire sauce. It came out fine but not Iβm not as thrilled as Iβd hoped to be. Also I used red lentils and I think brown would have been better. Will need to tinker.
I never thought I would care too much for lentil soup; however, I have made this twice now, and it is DELICIOUS!! I put a dollop of sour cream on top along with Worcestershire sauce and I canβt get enough of this wonderful healthy soup!
This soup is so yummy. Love your recipes Nagi. Thank you so much.
Lentil is one of my favorite soups and this has become my favorite recipe. Simple and delicious, Iβve made it three times. Thank you very much!
THE BEST! wow, both my husband and I were blown away by this recipe. Hearty, delicious, Happy tummies.
Thank you for sharing <3
Delicious! Served to non-vegetarians with the recommended grilled cheese on toast and they loved it. Substituted the onion and garlic for ginger, more carrot and celery and some hing (asitofeoda) itβs still had plenty of flavour. Added a lot more liquid than the recipe called for.
Just made this soup for dinner tonight just as you say Nagi I went back for more it was amazingπππ Husband away so all the more for meπ€£
Thankyou.
Made this soup as written⦠loved it! I thought the seasoning was bang on! Thanks for posting.
I added the zest from a small lemon into the pot and squeezed some lemon in the pot before I took a serving out. I think i was suppose to just add some zest and a little bit of lemon to the bowl Also, I would add some Worcestershire sauce for a stronger flavor. I did add the fresh parsley to the bowl. I will save this recipe. It is more like a stew than a soup. I sometimes add tiny pastas to make it more filling.
Yummy Yummy Yummy! Eating this soup feels like a big warm hug π€ After having the hottest Summer in Perth, the cooler weather has finally come in and I wanted a yummy soup. This was it. The lemon is a definite. Beautiful
Was getting a TINY bit tired of my standard pumpkin soup, so gave this a go. Hearty and filling but felt it slightly lacked flavour. A dollop of sweet chilli sauce and some Worcestershire sauce, topped with coriander and parsleyβ¦ππ
Omg!! This is the most amazing Lentil soup ever!! 1/2 teaspoon of Curry powder and 1 teaspoon of Tumeric powder , 1 heaped tablespoon of tomato paste and a small can of Ayam full cream coconut milk!!
Sooooo good! Better than any restaurant!!
Absolutely the best lentil soup Iβve ever eaten, Nagi. You, and your recipes, remain the best!!
Simply delicious! Love how simple this was to throw together, but how comforting it was to eat (with some warm cheesy bread). Will definitely make again! (especially loved the zing of the added lemon π)
Iβm a little confused because in reading through everything on this page you mention the lower the heat the better the flavor will be when u tale your time with the vegetables. Yet, the recipe itself says to do it over medium heat?
Love you Nagi.
I added red pepper and curry powder.
Amazing!
This actually so good! I was sceptical making it because lentil soup doesnβt sound that appealing but it was actually so delicious and flavourful. I also made my own chicken stock and I think that made it even better!
I absolutely love this soup β I cook it at least once a week and the family all love it (despite being fussy eaters). Full of flavor and goodness!
Absolutely delicious! Personal chef here- I made a bunch of soups for my sick client and this one was probably my favorite. I followed the recipe exactly except I added a tiny amount of curry powder. I added the two cups to my vitamix to thicken. I can always count on great recipes from Nagi!