I fear that maybe lentil soup is going to be a hard sell. What would give me that idea? It all started with photographing this soup. I’ve found that a bowl full of brown is really hard to make appealing.
Then, the look on my family’s faces when I told them I had just made lentil soup. “Come on, you guys love my lentil soup!” As far as I’m concerned, they just didn’t remember how good it really was.
So, after I announced to my husband and my daughter that the forced-feeding shall commence, I presented them with the soup. “Well, it smells amazing,” said my husband. I sat staring, as they each hesitantly put spoonfuls in their mouths. Both of them raised their eyebrows in surprise. Maybe those memories were coming back! “Oh wow…this is delicious!”
Well, of course it is. ;)
Lentils are so good for you. They are high in fiber, magnesium, iron and protein. They are also a great source of B vitamins without the fat that comes with most sources of the B’s. Lentils can reduce inflammation in your body and provide a lot of energy. This soup is really filling, low in fat…and it really is delicious!
Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 6 sun dried tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 cup dry white wine optional
- 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth homemade or low sodium
- 2 cups lentils sorted and rinsed
- 3-4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 large bay leaves
- 2 large handfuls baby spinach
- squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onions, celery and carrots just until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and the sun dried tomatoes. Continue sautéing for just a minute.
- Raise the heat to high and add the white wine, if using. Reduce for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and the lentils.
- With kitchen string, tie the parsley and thyme into a bouquet garni (basically, a bunch of herbs). Drop the bouquet garni into the pot with the bay leaves. Give it a stir. Once the pot comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and continue simmering.
- After one hour, check the lentils for doneness. If you'd like them softer, they should only need another 10 minutes or so.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Fish out the bouquet garni and bay leaves and discard.
- Add the handfuls of spinach, give it a stir, cover the pot and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Finally, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the pot to give it a bright freshness.
Notes
I have never had a lentil in my life. Just on a whim, I decided to try something new. My boyfriend smelled how amazing the aroma was a decided, despite his pickiness, to give it a try. I was utterly floored by the flavors and I am FOREVER COMPLETELY SOLD. You’ll also be happy to know that there’s one bowl of soup headed to his office today as well. (I saw it in his lunch bag this morning!) Whispering – It’s our little secret 🤗 thank you 🙏🏾
Tamekca! You just put the biggest smile on my face…and gave me a real chuckle! I’m thrilled that you and your boyfriend both enjoyed this soup…it’s one of my go-to’s when the weather gets chilly! And, mum’s the word…I won’t tell anyone that he stole your lunch! ;)
Apologies if this has already been asked! Do you use sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil or the dried ones? Thank you!
I use whatever I have on hand, Kristen. They both work equally well in this recipe. Hope you love it!
Mary Alice
Wonderful recipe. Thank you for sharing, We loved it. Wish that I could share some of my recipes with you with you..
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this soup, Mary Alice! I actually just made a pot of it last night! You can certainly share recipes here! Just add them in the comments section of a recipe…I’m sure everyone would love it! xo
Hi Caroline, what is your favorite good olive oil ? Also do you think this recipe could work in a crock pot ? If so what times /heat would you use. I don’ want to change the quality or flavor, but would like to try for a church gathering.
I have to tell you, I love the recipes you post, but most of all you seem like such a beautiful person in your writings.
Tricia, you are so kind…you just put the biggest smile ever on my face! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes! So, as far as olive oils go…I usually have several bottles around for different uses. I buy a variety of affordable brands for cooking. I also like to have a decent quality extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings. But, truly, the best fruity olive oil for me, is Calivirgin olive oil. It’s so delicious, but I save it for just drizzling over foods just before eating. It’s very special. Hope that helps! As for the soup…you can absolutely make this in a slow cooker! Place everything, up to the bay leaves, into your slow cooker. Cook on high heat for 5 to 6 hours or on low heat for 7 to 8 hours. Add the spinach during the last half hour. It will be delicious and perfect for your church gathering! Hope you love it! I’d love to hear your thoughts. xo
This is my favorite winter soup! My kids love it too! I’m wondering if you have the nutritional information on this recipe?
Thanks!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Laura! I don’t currently publish nutritional information…but, I do have some info for you! This soup serves 8, so based on one serving, it has just 200 calories, 5 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fiber, and 16 grams of protein. Hope that helps! Thanks so much for your kind words! :)
I’ve made this before and it was a hit! Do you think this would freeze well? I’m thinking of making a large batch and freezing part of it for a busy weekend.
That is such a great idea, Stephanie! Absolutely…this will freeze perfectly! So glad you enjoyed it…it’s so good for you, too! :)
I made this DELICIOUS soup yesterday. I didn’t have sun- dried tomatoes or wine and used fresh parsley and dried thyme. It still turned out delicious! Amazing how little salt was needed for such a flavorful soup!
This made me so happy, Michelle! Yup…this soup is very forgiving. I usually use what I have on hand and it’s always yummy. Thanks so much!
Dying to try this this weekend! Looks delicious!! Thank you.
Oh, wonderful, Betty! I hope you love it! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Just wanted to tell you I’ve made this soup 5 times already! I have a pot of it on the stove right now. It really is the best lentil soup I’ve ever had. I like making it on Sunday and bringing it for lunch all week at work. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Your comment makes me so happy, Lauralei! I love this soup, too. Prepping it on Sunday for the week is so smart. I should really do that! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! :)
This is a great soup!! Thank you so much for the recipe. I loved the addition of sun dried tomatoes! Now I have lunches set for the whole week
I’m thrilled to hear it, Jenna! Yes…sun dried tomatoes are the best! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Do you use dried lentils? Is the white wine a cooking wine? And are the sun dried tomatoes jarred tomatoes? I don’t cook much….. but this sounds great!
Glad you think so Becky! Yes, I do use dried lentils in the bag. Just give them a rinse in a fine mesh sieve before using. As for the white wine, just use any dry white wine you enjoy drinking. I don’t use wines bottled as “cooking wine” because their taste is completely different and they have a lot of added salt. You can certainly use the sun dried tomatoes that come in a jar. I usually buy the dried packaged variety, but either will work fine.
Caroline, I’m going to the Farmers Market to pick up a few very fresh ingredients, and tomorrow I’m going to make this for our lunch. I’m going to use the green lentils, because that’s what I have. The recipe sounds great!! Thanks for posting.
Yay! I’m so happy you’re making this, Ruth! Green lentils are delicious! I’d love to hear how it turns out! :)
I am new to lentils. What color do you use? They look brown in the picture, but I am wondering if I could use green as well? THANKS!
Lentils varieties can be confusing, can’t they Donna? I use brown lentils in this recipe. They are the most commonly found in grocery stores and are usually only marked as “lentils”. You can honestly use any variety in this recipe, except the red lentil. Red lentils have a completely different texture and turn to mush quickly. I hope that helps and hope you love it!
If I don’t have fresh herbs could I use dry herbs instead?
Absolutely, Sara. You can use a tablespoon of dried parsley flakes and 1/4 teaspoon of ground thyme in place of the fresh herbs. I hope you love it!
This looks and sounds amazing. Normally I don’t think about soups until cooler weather…but my pregnant self can’t help but imagine how good this would taste! I’m going to have to try it this week. Would this soup freeze well?
Congratulations, Lindsay! How exciting! I remember those crazy cravings! This soup is so good for you! Yes, I freeze leftover soups all the time. Just be sure to label the container. I’ve learned the hard way! I’ve tossed so many unidentifiable things from my freezer!
I’ve made a lot of lentil and bean soups. YUM! Especially yum with the left-over ham meaty bone from holiday meals. :) Anyway, I’ve found that the lemon is absolutely key to the recipe. I stir in the juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon to each pot of legume soup at the very end of cooking. It adds a “brightness” to the flavor of the soup. Try it!
OMG My lentils are already cooked! I think that’s about 30 minutes total in soup time! Good thing I tried them. It smells good but I’m not going to serve it until tonight. Thanks,
Jo, lentils do get tender after about 30 minutes, so you are right…they are done! I just like mine very soft in soups, but you were right to stop cooking at that point. They’ll continue to soften up when you reheat it tonight. Thanks for letting me know! I hope you love it!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you think so and so glad you like the blog. I’m having a great time with it…finally doing something I really love!
I think it looks delicious in the picture!! I’m loving your blog! What a fun thing to be doing…