Lentil Soup Recipe | Diethood

Why I Love This Simple Lentil Soup Recipe

• Hearty and straightforward. This one-pot soup is my go-to each time I discover myself craving one thing hearty and comforting, that’s nonetheless simple to drag collectively. It wants easy however satisfying substances like carrots, potatoes, canned lentils, and Swiss chard.
• Fast. Properly, by soup requirements! This simple 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 like the daring, candy, and smoky taste of pink chilies on this soup. Paired with recent herbs like parsley and garlic and a handful of seasonings, it’s every little thing I like about Macedonian cooking.

Elements You’ll Want

Listed below are some notes on the substances that want gathering for this lentil soup recipe. Scroll all the way down to the printable recipe card after the submit for the complete substances listing and recipe particulars.

• Olive Oil – Or one other cooking oil. You too can 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 so that they’ll cook dinner quicker.
• Contemporary 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 in 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 type my mother all the time 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 effectively on this recipe. Be happy to combine and match!

Easy methods to Make the Greatest Lentil Soup

This vegetarian lentil soup comes collectively pretty shortly in a single pot on the stovetop. It’s good for cozy weekend afternoons and the entire home smells superb whereas it cooks! Simply excited 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 recent herbs and garlic, adopted by the dry seasonings, salt, and pepper. Cook dinner for a minute, till aromatic.
• Add the remaining soup substances. Now, add the broth and drop in a bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Deliver the pot to a boil, and stir within the lentils and dried chilies.
• Cook dinner. Decrease the warmth to a simmer and let the soup cook dinner, uncovered, for 20 minutes till the lentils and potatoes are cooked by means of and tender.
• Add greens. Lastly, stir in your leafy greens. Cook dinner for an additional couple of minutes to wilt the leaves. Afterward, pluck out the thyme and bay leaf, and serve.

Serving Ideas

My mother all the time served us lentil soup with crusty skillet bread for dunking. It’s simply as nice with grissini, selfmade 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 coated hermetic within the fridge for as much as 5 days. I like making an enormous pot of lentil soup on the weekend to take pleasure in 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 meaning to freeze it straight away, cook dinner the veggies simply till they’re tender-crisp, not all over. This manner, they’ll cook dinner to the right texture when the soup’s thawed and reheated.