8 delicious lentil soup recipes: Prepare a protein bomb

Lentils, the queen of soups or a symbol of abundance if you will, have been the most popular legume since Neolithic times.

Lentil dishes are very rich in protein, up to 25%, as well as fiber and carbohydrates. Therefore, it will keep you full for a very long time and you will also contribute to your health.

Let’s introduce easy variants of lentil soup recipes. You will definitely choose your favorite one.

Old Bohemian lentil soup with smoked meat

Try this traditional recipe with smoked meat. You can replace smoked with pancetta, for example.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 140g of smoked meat
• 1 carrot (about 120 g), finely diced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 chilli, finely chopped (optional)
• 1-2 cubes of masox or chicken broth
• 250g red lentils – rinsed
• Sliced aged bread or crouton roll

Method

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, chopped smoked meat and carrot. Cook over low to medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onion softens.
• Add cumin, garlic, chilli and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
• Pour 1.25 liters of boiling water, crumble the masox and finally add the lentils.
• Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add salt to the soup to taste.
• In the meantime, fry the bread croutons in a small pan for about 10 minutes, until crispy.
• Serve the soup sprinkled with croutons.

Lentil soup with sausage

We will prepare this recipe for soup with lentils with sausage. Instead of sausage, you can also use bur or sausage.

Ingredients

• 450g green lentils
• 40 ml of olive oil
• 2 large chopped onions
• 200g of chopped leeks
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of ground fresh thyme
• 200g diced celery (about 5 stalks)
• 200g carrots cut into small cubes (3 carrots)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 liters of homemade chicken stock or bouillon cube
• 30g of tomato puree
• 3 sausages cut into 1 cm cubes
• 2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
• Grated parmesan to serve

Method

• In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and let them rest for 15 minutes. Then drain.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and fry the onion, leek, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and cumin for 20 minutes.
• Add the celery and carrots and sauté for another 10 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock, tomato puree and drained lentils, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for one hour.
• Add the sausage, red wine and simmer until the sausage is cooked through.
• Serve the soup drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese.

Classic lentil soup without meat

Try this golden classic without the meat. A lens as it should be. What makes this recipe special is that we add baby spinach.

Ingredients

• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 medium onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups lentils
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1 liter of chicken or vegetable broth, or a bouillon cube
• 100g of baby spinach

Method

• Peel and dice 2 medium carrots and 1 medium onion. Crush 4 cloves of garlic.
• Rinse the lens under cold water.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot, add carrots, onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and a teaspoon of salt. Cook for about 1 minute.
• Add the lentils, tomato paste and 1 liter of stock, stir and cook. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, 18 to 22 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the spinach. Season to taste and serve immediately.

Red lentil soup with lemon

Make red lentil soup with lemon. However, if you don’t want it, leave out the lemon.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 liter of chicken or vegetable broth, or a bouillon cube
• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup of red lentils
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
• A pinch of chopped fresh coriander

Method

• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large pot, add onion, garlic and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato puree, cumin, salt, black pepper and sauté for another 2 minutes.
• Add stock, 2 cups water, lentils, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to simmer for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
• Taste and add salt as needed.
• If desired, blend the soup with a stick blender to make it creamy.
• Then stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Serve immediately.

TIP: You can also be inspired by these world recipes for red lentil soups.

Excellent lentil soups with vegetables

Lentil soup suitable for vegetarians can be prepared only from lentils and vegetables. Come try it too.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons of tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1 clove of garlic, finely diced
• 3 celery stalks, finely diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 cups green lentils
• 8 cups vegetable stock or bouillon cube
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• A pinch of ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 10 florets of cabbage, finely chopped (to taste)

Method

• Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and fry until golden.
• Push the onion to the side of the pot and add the tomato paste to the space you created. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the tomato paste darkens to a reddish brown color.
• Add thyme, garlic, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
• Add lentils, 8 cups of broth, soy sauce, salt and pepper to the pot.
• Cook over medium heat for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
• Remove 2 cups of soup and blend, return to pot and stir in lemon juice.
• Add the chopped cabbage and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender.
• Season with salt, pepper or lemon juice as needed and serve.

Festive lentils with cheese

Prepare a festive Italian-style lentil dish. That is, with cheese and mushrooms.

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1-1/2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes (puree)
• 1 cup green or brown lentils (rinsed)
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 large stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2-3 small potatoes, cut into small pieces
• 4-5 mushrooms cut into pieces
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon of dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Grated edam or gouda to taste

Method

• Heat the oil in a large pot, add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté for about 7 minutes – until the onion is golden.
• Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
• Add the wine and simmer for just a minute.
• Then add the chicken stock, water and tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes and lentils.
• Finally, add parsley, basil, oregano, dill and freshly ground black pepper.
• Cover the pot with a lid and cook for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
• Garnish the soup with grated cheese and serve immediately.

Lentil soup with potatoes and spinach

You can achieve a slightly denser version of the lentil soup by adding potatoes. In addition, spinach adds another batch of health-promoting substances to the soup.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 cups of vegetable stock or broth
• 1 cup lentils, rinsed
• 200g of sliced potatoes
• 1 lemon
• 150g of fresh spinach leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• A handful of mint

Method

• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.
• Add the vegetable stock and lentils and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the potatoes and cook until the potatoes and lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, grate 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest, squeeze the juice from the lemon, and measure out 2 tablespoons.
• Add grated lemon peel, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, spinach and pepper to the soup.
• Cover and simmer until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.
• Finally, stir in the mint, season with salt and pepper.

Black lentil soup

Do you have black lentils at home and don’t know what to make of them? Try cooking lentil soup!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 large chopped onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2-3 chopped carrots
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup black lentils, rinsed
• 1 liter of vegetable stock or bouillon
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Method

• Sauté onion, garlic, and carrot in olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Add the lentils, stock, thyme, salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
• If you have little water, feel free to add more as you see fit.
• Serve immediately after cooking.

What is the best way to prepare lentils before cooking?

The advantage of lentils is the fact that their cooking time is short compared to other legumes.

The first step in preparing this very healthy legume is to take it over. Yes, we will play cinderella and discuss piece by piece whether there is a single bad lens among them.

To cook the lentils even faster, there is a second step. Namely, soaking the lens in cold water for at least 3-6 hours. With this step, we achieve the washing away of harmful substances, also called purines, from the lens into the water. Of course, we pour out this water after leaching and use it fresh for the actual cooking.

Lentils are cooked for around 15-30 minutes. Pre-soaked is cooked faster. We can tell if it is cooked by the softness of the legume.

Are you a true lover of lentil dishes or do you have an excess of lentil at home? Make one of these great red lentil spreads.