Lentil Soup

4.37 from 93 votes

This warming and budget-friendly soup is a vegetarian staple. Satisfying and simple to make, this homemade soup is a great dinner or leftover for lunch.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword homemade lentil soup, lentil soup, lentil soup recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 415

Author Erren Hart

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound green or brown lentils
1 large onion chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 celery stalks chopped
3 carrots sliced
6 cups vegetable stock or chicken for a non-vegitarian option
1 (14 oz) can crushed or chopped tomatoes with juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
A good handful of fresh parsley chopped
salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large bowl, soak the lentils using one part dried lentils two parts boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes before draining.
In a large stockpot on medium heat, sauté the onions in the olive oil until translucent - about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the oregano, cumin, celery, and carrots and sauté for 5 more minutes.
Add the stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes - 1 hour, or until the lentils and vegetables are cooked through.
Season with salt, taste to check for seasoning, and adjust as needed before serving.

Notes

Salting the soaking or cooking liquid can prevent the lentils from reaching their peak softening so it’s best to wait until the end to add salt.
For a deeper flavor profile, when cooking the vegetables, allow them to brown and then scrape the bottom of the pan when adding the stock to distribute the flavor.
Lentil Soup often becomes quite thick during cooking or storing. If it gets a bit too thick simply thin it out with a little water or stock.

Nutrition