This straightforward lentil soup recipe is an enormous bowl of Mediterranean taste and luxury from my childhood! It’s filled with smoky chilies, tender potatoes, and greens. I really like that I could make it in a single pot in below an hour!
These days, I’ve been cooking all of the consolation meals I do know and love, from Macedonian moussaka to cabbage rolls and this hearty lentil soup recipe with smoky Macedonian peppers. For one more conventional recipe with lentils, do this Indian Mulligatawny stew!
That is my household’s well-known Mediterranean lentil soup recipe loaded with healthful components and comforting flavors from again house. It’s a mix of tender lentils, veggies, potatoes, and leafy greens in a wealthy, smoky broth with dried pink chilies, herbs, and spices. I grew up consuming this soup no less than as soon as every week, on both a Wednesday or Friday, at all times. My mother made it so typically that she even planted lentils in our backyard. Let’s simply say, we had lentils for DAYS that 12 months.
Quick ahead, and whereas I’m not tending to a backyard of lentils, I nonetheless make my mother’s soup recipe typically. Particularly because it wanted lower than an hour on the stovetop!
Why I Love This Straightforward Lentil Soup Recipe
- Hearty and simple. This one-pot soup is my go-to at any time when I discover myself craving one thing hearty and comforting, that’s nonetheless straightforward to tug collectively. It wants easy however satisfying components like carrots, potatoes, canned lentils, and Swiss chard.
- Fast. Properly, by soup requirements! This straightforward lentil soup is prepared in 30-some-odd minutes, most of which is time spent simmering. It’s so hands-free, that even my husband isn’t scared off by the considered making it. And as a person who solely cooks pasta, that’s saying one thing.
- Daring Mediterranean flavors. I really like the daring, candy, and smoky taste of pink chilies on this soup. Paired with contemporary herbs like parsley and garlic and a handful of seasonings, it’s every part I really like about Macedonian cooking.
Components You’ll Want
Listed below are some notes on the components that want gathering for this lentil soup recipe. Scroll all the way down to the printable recipe card after the submit for the complete components listing and recipe particulars.
- Olive Oil – Or one other cooking oil. It’s also possible to use butter.
- Aromatics – Diced onion, carrots, and celery create the flavour base for the soup.
- Potatoes – I exploit Yukon Gold potatoes, that are nice all-rounders for soup and stew recipes. Different good choices are russets, pink, or yellow potatoes. Chop the potatoes into bite-sized chunks in order that they’ll prepare dinner quicker.
- Recent Herbs – Chopped parsley, minced garlic cloves, and thyme sprigs.
- Seasonings – Paprika (candy or smoked), dried oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. You may adapt the quantities and spices on this recipe relying in your tastes. For a spicier soup, add extra paprika, cayenne, or chili flakes.
- Broth – I exploit vegetable inventory to maintain this soup vegetarian. You may substitute low-sodium hen or beef broth if wanted.
- Lentils – Lentils are available all types of colours, see beneath. When you’re utilizing canned lentils, bear in mind to empty and rinse them beforehand.
- Dried Purple Chilies – I like to make use of candy, dried Macedonian peppers. They’re a kind of banana pepper and the sort my mother at all times makes use of in soups. Good alternate options are Thai pink chilies, ancho, or guajillo peppers (just like the peppers I exploit in my guajillo steak marinade). Take away the stems and seeds, and slice the chilies into quarters lengthwise.
- Greens – Swiss chard, child spinach, kale, or collard greens all work nicely on this recipe. Be happy to combine and match!
What Shade Lentils Are Finest for Soup?
I virtually at all times use earthy brown lentils or peppery inexperienced lentils on this lentil soup recipe. These are my high two decisions! Right here’s how they evaluate:
- Inexperienced Lentils – Inexperienced lentils have a light however barely peppery taste. They soften simply sufficient when cooked, however nonetheless maintain their form, making them an ideal alternative for soups and stews.
- Brown Lentils – Brown lentils have a extra earthy style, they usually’re additionally a sensible choice for soups for a similar causes above.
- Purple Lentils – Purple lentils break down rapidly when cooked, in order that they are usually a bit of mushy in soup recipes. That being stated, you probably have pink lentils, the flavour continues to be good, they usually’ll work in a pinch.
The best way to Make the Finest Lentil Soup
This vegetarian lentil soup comes collectively pretty rapidly in a single pot on the stovetop. It’s good for cozy weekend afternoons and the entire home smells superb whereas it cooks! Simply fascinated about it takes me proper again to my childhood. Let’s get began.
- Sauté the veggies. First, sauté the diced carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes in a big pot with olive oil till tender. Stir typically so the veggies brown evenly on all sides.
- Add seasonings. Subsequent, stir in your contemporary herbs and garlic, adopted by the dry seasonings, salt, and pepper. Prepare dinner for a minute, till aromatic.
- Add the remaining soup components. Now, add the broth and drop in a bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Convey the pot to a boil, and stir within the lentils and dried chilies.
- Prepare dinner. Decrease the warmth to a simmer and let the soup prepare dinner, uncovered, for 20 minutes till the lentils and potatoes are cooked by way of and tender.
- Add greens. Lastly, stir in your leafy greens. Prepare dinner for an additional jiffy to wilt the leaves. Afterward, pluck out the thyme and bay leaf, and serve.
Suggestions and Variations
- The place to search for dried chilies: I often discover dried chilies within the produce part, the worldwide meals aisle, or the spice aisle in most grocery shops. Don’t fear when you can’t discover Macedonian peppers. Whereas they’ve the very best taste (wealthy, candy, and smoky, a bit like cayenne), nearly any dried pink chili will work.
- When you can’t discover dried pink chilies, I like to recommend substituting 1 teaspoon of paprika + ½ teaspoon chili powder to amp up the spicy broth.
- Substitute the lentils. If lentils aren’t your factor, you may swap them out for chickpeas, beans, or one other legume. It gained’t be lentil soup, however it’ll nonetheless style nice.
- Alter the seasonings on the finish of cooking. I like to recommend seasoning soups to style solely after they’ve simmered for some time. This manner, the flavors have an opportunity to return collectively first. It’s high-quality to style as you go however save any main changes till the tip of cooking.
- Totally different veggies. You may skip the potatoes or substitute candy potatoes, cauliflower, pink bell peppers, and different veggies.
- Add protein. When you like your soup with meat, see my lentil and chorizo soup for an additional straightforward variation. In any other case, you probably have any pre-cooked shredded hen (a rotisserie hen or baked hen breasts work nicely), pulled pork, or beef ideas within the fridge, stir these in on the finish for a meaty model.
Serving Recommendations
My mother at all times served us lentil soup with crusty skillet bread for dunking. It’s simply as nice with grissini, home made gevrek (sesame bagels), or fluffy Mediterranean rice and a salad. Or, slurp it up simply as it’s! This cozy lentil soup has loads of textures and flavors, so that you hardly want something additional (besides perhaps a glass of Pinot Grigio). It additionally leaves room for a slice of marble cake for dessert!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Preserve leftovers lined hermetic within the fridge for as much as 5 days. I really like making an enormous pot of lentil soup on the weekend to get pleasure from leftovers all week!
- Reheat. This soup reheats simply on the stovetop over medium warmth or within the microwave.
- Freeze. Retailer the soup in an hermetic container or freezer bag and freeze for as much as 3 months. When you make this soup desiring to freeze it instantly, prepare dinner the veggies simply till they’re tender-crisp, not all over. This manner, they’ll prepare dinner to the right texture when the soup’s thawed and reheated.
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- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 massive carrots, thinly sliced
- 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 3 to 4 cups bite-sized chopped potatoes, I used small yukon gold potatoes
- ¼ cup chopped contemporary parsley
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon candy or smoky paprika, regulate spice to your personal desire
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to style
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon freshly floor black pepper, or to style
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 3 sprigs contemporary thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup inexperienced or brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 3 dried pink chili peppers, sizzling or candy, tops eliminated, minimize in fourths lengthwise (when you can’t discover any, use about 1 teaspoon extra paprika + 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or to style)
- 3 cups chopped leafy greens, I used swiss chard, however you need to use child spinach, or kale, or collard greens, and so forth
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Sauté. Warmth olive oil in a big pot, or Dutch oven, over medium warmth. Add diced onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes to the recent oil; sauté for six minutes, or till veggies are barely tender and browned. Stir typically.
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Add herbs and spices. Stir in parsley and garlic; proceed to prepare dinner for 1 extra minute. Season with paprika, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper; stir and prepare dinner for 1 extra minute.
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Add the remaining components. Add vegetable broth, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf; flip the warmth as much as medium-high and produce to a boil. Stir within the lentils and the dry chili peppers, if utilizing. Convey the pot again to a boil.
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Prepare dinner. Cut back warmth to medium-low and prepare dinner for 20 minutes, uncovered, till lentils and potatoes are tender.
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Stir within the greens. Stir in leafy greens and proceed to prepare dinner for two to 4 extra minutes or till wilted.
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End and serve. Take away the lentil soup from the warmth; style for seasonings and regulate accordingly. Take away bay leaf and thyme sprigs; serve.
- Storage: Retailer Lentil Soup in an hermetic container, and refrigerate for as much as 5 days.
- Freezing: Retailer fully cooled Lentil Soup in an hermetic container OR freezer luggage. Freeze for as much as 3 months.
- When you intend to prepare dinner the soup simply to freeze it instantly, I counsel cooking the veggies simply till tender and a bit crisp. They’ll have the right texture as soon as reheated.
- Reheat frozen soup in a pot over medium warmth.
Serving: 2cups | Energy: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 18g | Fats: 8g | Saturated Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 535mg | Potassium: 1452mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 9580IU | Vitamin C: 43.2mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 9.5mg
Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might differ in line with the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
