Don’t settle for bland Lentil Soup! Make it right and you’ll have everyone begging for seconds….and thirds… This lentil recipe is one of the best nourishing, simple dishes you can make with dried lentils that’s 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. It’s an easy recipe that delivers terrific results, a 5 star reader favourite with hundreds of feedback from readers!
Want to add 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 I’m all about big flavours. Spicy, herby, curries – kapow, kapow, kapow!
But you know what? A well made Lentil Soup recipe is can’t-stop-eating-it good. You’ll go back for seconds and thirds, then you’ll be taking big tubs of it to work for lunch and happily have it for dinner again.
And – I’m going to say it (*head swell*) – plenty of readers have said this is the best lentil soup they’ve ever had!
A well made Lentil Soup recipe is can’t-stop-eating-it good.
Is lentil soup good for you?
If you’re wondering if lentil soup is good for you, the answer is yes! Lentils are nutritious, rich in minerals, protein, low in fat, high in fibre (digestive health). They are a terrific vegetarian source of protein with 25% of the calories in lentils attributable to protein.
Lentils are a carbohydrate, but it’s slow burning which means it keeps you fuller for longer. Studies also suggest that lentils are good for heart health.
The added benefit is that 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. There’s an undertone of natural sweetness from the soffrito flavour base of onion, carrot and celery. My favourite part is the texture! It’s thick and comforting, and just made for dunking in hot crusty bread!
What goes in Lentil Soup
Here’s what goes in my lentil soup. Nothing fancy, just everyday ingredients.
So what makes this Lentil Soup so good?
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A touch of spices.
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Cooking the onion, carrot and celery slowly so they sweeten and make a beautiful flavour base.
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Lemon – The “secret” ingredient. 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 minutes in the soup, and there’s 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 – brown, green, red or yellow, though it will affect the colour of the soup. I’ve used green lentils, pictured below.
The only type of lentil I do not recommend is Puy Lentils (little black French lentils) because they hold their shape and don’t soften like other lentils.
Can you used canned cooked lentils?
Yes you sure can, and directions are provided in the recipe notes. But it’s better made with dried lentils because of the texture in the soup, there’s only 10 minutes difference in cook time and it’s more economical!
How to make Lentil Soup from scratch
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Sauté your onion, garlic, carrots and celery over over low heat for almost 10 minutes. Take your time here – the lower the heat, the longer you take, the more these will transform to create an incredible flavour base for the soup!
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Add everything else other than the lemon;
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Simmer 35 minutes until lentils are soft; and
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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!
You’ll 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 a 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 – 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 – even longer!
Every time I make this, I always wonder why I don’t make it more often. It’s healthy, filling, super economical, freezes perfectly, versatile and it’s seriously good.
Serving this with some sort of warm crusty bread for dunking is not optional. It’s an essential part of the Lentil Soup experience.
But it is optional whether you slather said bread with butter, or grill it with cheese! Here are a few options – including making your own ultra easy homemade bread with NO YEAST:
– Nagi xx
Lentil Soup
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 - 10 minutes or until softened and the onion is sweet. Don't rush this step, it is key to the flavour base of the soup.
- Add all remaining ingredients except the lemon and salt. Stir.
- 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 - 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 – it’s been a firm reader favourite from day 1, so I wouldn’t dare touch it!
More totally delicious lentil recipes:
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Sexy Lentil Salad – try it, then you’ll get the name….
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Dal – Indian lentil curry. The highest and best use of lentils, full stop!
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Coconut Lentil Curry – outrageously addictive, and easy (I make this for a curry fix when I don’t have time for dal)
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Mejadra (Middle Eastern Spiced Lentil Rice) – so good you can eat it plain, seriously!
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Browse all Beans and Lentil recipes
Life of Dozer
He contributes less than nothing to this household, he actually contributes negative. Dropping fur everywhere, shaking vigorously so it flies everywhere along with an inordinate amount of sand, constantly sprawling out in my path so I’m forced to step over him (remember, I’m vertically challenged = giant steps).
Giant 💩 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, don’t we? 🙂)
PS Another example of his uselessness – he spends 22 hours a day doing this. The other 2 hours are spent a) eating b) hoping to eat c) playing.
Radia says
This is Moroccan Harira soup. Good recipe of it though. I would say just name it for what it is “Harira”
Nagi says
I actually made Harira for my cookbook! It’s a different recipe to this, more spicing. And make the version with chickpeas with lamb bits in it! N x
Jen R says
Awesome recipe! I didn’t have any coriander powder so I subbed for curry powder and it was amazing! I also added some tomato paste to the mirepoix for fun. Lemon is a must! Delicious with garlic bread! Definitely making again!
Joy Kathryn says
This was so lovely!
I only made half the recipe so I added a little too much lemon at the end (only a tiny bit too much)
I forgot I had only made half and I added over half of the lemon zest from the lemon. Thankfully I caught myself before squeezing in the second half of the lemon and adding the rest of the zest. Haha.
Lovely and fresh!
Jennifer says
I made this recipe exactly as written and it was great. A keeper.
Sue says
This lentil soup is fantastic and easy to make. I’m making it for the second time right now! Thanks for a great lentil soup!
Stace says
This was delicious! I left out the lemon because it was so good without it. I love lemon and might try it another time. I also didn’t puree the soup. I used imagine veggie broth and also 2 cups of chicken stock. Best lentil soup!
Elisa says
Easy recipe and delicious–I’m putting it on the menu for a gathering with friends for the vegetarians in the group. I’ve never added the lemon or bay leaves–because I don’t usually have those on hand–don’t let that stop you from making this soup 🙂
Marisa says
Excellent soup! Didn’t have coriander so added turmeric instead. We thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely make it again.
Luisa says
How have I not left a review of this yet ? I seriously make this almost every week. So delicious and healthy, I can eat this soup everyday. Thank you!!
Sher says
made this today and had it for dinner. It was truly delicious!!! There was no need to mash the lentils because the soup thickens itself as it cooks. I had to keep adding water. Since I didn’t have chicken broth, I added two chicken boullion cubes to the soup and that worked. I also added 1/4 tsp turmeric to the spices just for its healthy properties, and some celery leaves. Your recipe is now a keeper at our house. Thank you so much!
Trisha chenatte says
Nagi thank you for sharing this lentil soup recipe I made a pot earlier and just had a bowl of it and it’s delish!!
Rachel Y says
This was so good! I also added a potato and kale and instead of broth used water. I didn’t blend it and it tasted great too!
Brenda Thomas says
Wow, Nagi! This recipe is so flavorful! Lemon and lemon zest? Who knew? It elevated the flavor of the soup. My family loves it.
Ann says
OMG….. just amazing soup. i added abit of kale to the soup to make it more hearty. Love this recipe. Thanks, Nagi. your amazing!
Ali G says
A little of the lemon zest totally changed the flavor! Awesome. I didn’t have to add any extra water but I did add a sweet potato and some bacon just because 🙂
Nagi says
I love kale in this! N x
Sarah says
Love this. Added Polish Sausage and it was delicious!
Cha says
Hi Nagi, my fam and I love this soup. Made it twice and it’s become our favourite family soup!
Shiela Monroe says
Made this several times for my family of 10. They all absolutely LOVE it!
Colleen says
Absolutely delicious- went down well with a sandwich for lunch today, we will certainly be having this more often. I had some coconut milk left over from the Thai peanut chicken so replaced 10floz with water.
Thank you So much for your recipes we are enjoying them very much!
Loubna says
this is the Moroccan way of cooking lentils. very delicious. you got it right. bravo!
Nagi says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Loubna! N x
Charlotte says
I think it’s to fair to say this is a great recipe… My 4 year old absolutely smashed her huge bowl full!
Nagi says
Thank you Charlotte! So glad you enjoyed it! N x