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Healthy, hearty, and made in one pot, this Lentil Soup is a classic recipe that you can make with a few simple ingredients. Rich and nourishing, I promise that this is the best lentil soup that you’ll ever make! It is absolutely perfect for a cold winter day or when you need a cozy and budget-friendly recipe.
There’s nothing I love more than a big batch of freezer-friendly soup. It’s so easy to make a large batch of lentil soup, and leftovers will keep you fed for days. You won’t believe how simple pantry ingredients transform into a soup packed with rich flavor and healthy goodness.
The recipe itself is pretty simple, but the nutritious ingredients really make it shine. It’s super filling, warming, and tastes even better upon reheating! What’s not to love about that? Plus, it’s hearty enough to serve as an entire meal on its own. For other homemade soup recipes, try my tomato soup recipe, easy broccoli cheese soup, or French onion soup recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Mirepoix — a key component in many soups and stews, a mirepoix is composed of a mix of aromatics, mainly onions, carrots, and celery. While it may not seem like a lot, these basic ingredients add a significant layer of flavor.
Lentils — green lentils, French green lentils, or brown lentils are perfect for the soup as they hold their shape well. Red lentils tend to break down into the soup as it simmers.
Tomatoes — canned tomatoes add additional liquid and rich flavor to the soup.
Kale — kale adds an extra touch of healthy goodness to this lentil soup recipe.
Spices — I highly recommend not skipping out on the ground coriander and cumin as they help give the soup its distinctive taste.
How to Make Lentil Soup
1. Cut the onions, carrots, and celery into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until the onions turn translucent before stirring in the garlic, cumin, coriander, and thyme. Then, stir in the tomatoes, using the spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
3. Add the broth to the dutch oven.
4. Add the lentils, black pepper, fresh herbs like thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, about 8 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, maintaining a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the lentils are tender.
5 Stir lemon zest or lemon juice into the lentil soup.
6. Stir in the kale and simmer for another 5 minutes or until the kale is tender. Serve immediately topped with parsley or chives.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Make this vegan lentil soup or vegetarian friendly by using vegetable stock.
- While you can thicken the soup by blending 2 cups and stirring it back into the pot, you can puree the entire pot for a creamier and smooth option.
- Make sure to remove the bay leaf before blending any of the soup.
- To add some kick add curry powder.
- If you do not have kale, baby spinach makes for a great substitute.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes add a great smoky flavor to the lentil soup if you can find them.
- If you buy the dried lentils in a bulk store, make sure to double-check them and discard any tiny stones or bits of dirt. If they’re dusty, rinse them in a colander before using them in the soup. While packaged lentils usually come pre-checked, there’s no harm in checking them as well.
- Unlike beans, there’s no need to soak lentils before cooking. They will soften without issue while simmering in the pot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What else can I add to this?
There are so many variations of lentil soups that you can make! Turn this into a French lentil soup with bacon by stirring in cooked bacon pieces at the end with the kale. Lentil soup with ham is another popular variation where you stir in diced, cooked ham at the end. Another variation is using less broth and stirring in coconut milk to add more creaminess and flavor. You can also make the soup spicier with the addition of cayenne pepper.
How do I store leftovers?
You can store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. To reheat the soup, you can microwave it or gently reheat it on the stovetop.
How do I freeze soup?
When freezing soup, always leave some space at the top if using glass jars. Soup will expand as it freezes, so leaving headspace will prevent the glass from breaking. Another way to freeze lentil soup is by adding the soup to a ziptop bag, pressing all the air out, and laying it flat on a sheet pan in the freezer, so it’s easier to store once frozen. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, simply thaw the soup overnight in the fridge.
What can I serve with this soup?
This soup is perfect on its own, but I like serving my lentil soup with some crusty bread like my homemade French bread. However, a simple salad, popovers, or my cornbread recipe make for delicious side dishes.
If you’ve tried this Lentil Soup recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Lentil Soup
Equipment
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon chopped thyme 1½ teaspoons dried
- 1 pound dried lentils picked over and washed (450g)
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (794g)
- 6 to 8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth divided (1.4-1.9L)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- salt to taste
- 2 cups chopped kale ribs removed
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- chopped parsley or chives for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions start to turn translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander, and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the tomatoes, using the spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the lentils, 6 cups of broth, black pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, about 8 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, maintaining a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the lentils are tender but still maintain their shape. Add additional broth during cooking, if needed.
- Taste and add salt if needed. If you want to thicken the soup, remove two cups of the soup from the pot, and pulse a few times in a blender or mash with a potato masher or fork until thick. Stir back into the pot. Stir in the kale and lemon zest and juice. Simmer for 5 more minutes or until the kale is tender. Serve immediately topped with parsley or chives.
Notes
- Make this vegan or vegetarian friendly by using vegetable stock.
- While you can thicken the soup by blending 2 cups and stirring it back into the pot, you can puree the entire pot for a creamier and smooth option.
- Make sure to remove the bay leaf before blending any of the soup.
- If you do not have kale, baby spinach makes for a great substitute.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes add a great smoky flavor to the lentil soup if you can find them.
- If you buy the dried lentils in a bulk store, make sure to double-check them and discard any tiny stones or bits of dirt. If they’re dusty, rinse them in a colander before using them in the soup. While packaged lentils usually come pre-checked, there’s no harm in checking them as well.
- Unlike beans, there’s no need to soak lentils before cooking. They will soften without issue while simmering in the pot.
Nutrition
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