Not only is this soup incredibly simple to make, but it also happens to be the best lentil soup ever! Packed with hearty ingredients, it requires minimal work from you and is the perfect healthy comfort food.
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(This recipe for The Best Lentil Soup was originally published in November 2008, but was updated with new photos and content in 2020).
If I'm being honest, I have to tell you that it's very rare that soup excites me. Generally, the only reason I get excited about soup is that it often comes with a big hunk of bread (preferably garlic bread). Really, for soup to excite me, it has to be extra creamy and/or really unhealthy for me.
Enter lentil soup. When I started making lentil soup way back in 2008 (whoa), I was initially skeptical of it. It's packed with so many vegetables and healthy-ish foods and how the heck could it taste good??
But after experimenting with the recipe a bit, I made what I think is the best lentil soup ever and a soup I will always get excited about!
❤️ Benefits of lentils
Lentils are definitely a highly underrated food. Whenever I'm at a salad bar (which isn't often), I always toss a scoopful of lentils on my salad, but otherwise, I rarely think about the legume. Which is a shame because they're actually quite good for us.
This lentil soup is an easy way to get a nice serving of lentils in a delicious way. Here are some of the health benefits of lentils (source: harvard.edu)
- They're high in protein
- They're high in iron
- They have lots of fiber
- They are packed with polyphenols
- They're low in both sodium and saturated fat
- They contain "slow-digesting resistant starch that delays the absorption of carbohydrates with blood sugar-lowering effects"
- They may improve cholesterol levels in people with diabetes and help protect against breast cancer
❓ What kind of lentils should I use?
I use green lentils for this soup, and though I do recommend using either green or brown, you can really use any kind you want.
Note that green and brown lentils tend to hold their shape better, while red and yellow lentils are more apt to disintegrate. You can see my lentils retained their shape in my soup, but if you like a "mushier" soup or are planning to make a pureed lentil soup, red or yellow would also work.
🥣 Do I need to soak lentils?
You don't need to soak lentils, but it is recommended that you pick through the lentils and make sure there's no debris hiding in them before adding them to this soup.
I generally put the lentils in a colander and rinse them with some cold water while picking through them a bit.
🗒 Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Onion, diced
- Salt
- Pepper
- Carrots, peeled and sliced
- Garlic, minced
- White potatoes, cut into small cubes
- Lentils (I recommend green or brown)
- Dried thyme
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Low-sodium chicken broth (can substitute vegetable broth)
- Bay leaves
- Parsley, for garnish
👩🍳 How to make the best lentil soup
One of the wonderful things about this recipe is how incredibly easy it is. The most difficult thing is chopping the veggies, but even that isn't too tough. You can whip this up and have it simmering away on your stovetop in no time at all.
To start, add oil to a large pot or dutch oven set over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add diced onions, salt, and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes, until onions are just starting to soften.
Add in carrots and cook for another 5 minutes, until onions are starting to brown. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in potatoes, lentils, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chicken broth. Add bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils and potatoes are softened, about 35-40 minutes. Remove bay leaves.
Note: You can use whatever spices you want in this soup, but I find that cinnamon and nutmeg bring some warming fall qualities to the soup. I only add a little so the flavors are subtle. When the lentil soup is done cooking, you can taste it and add more of whatever you want.
🥘 Do I need to puree the soup?
A lot of lentil soup recipes call for part of the soup to be pureed in a blender and then stirred back into the pot. While you can certainly do this if you want your soup to be a bit creamier, I wanted a heartier soup with the vegetables all intact, so I opted not to puree it. It's totally up to you!
I love how much "good stuff" is in this soup. It's amazingly hearty and perfect for fall.
I like to serve it with a little fresh parsley on top.
⏲️ How to store
Let soup cool before transferring to an airtight container and placing in fridge. Soup should keep for about 5 days and can be easily re-heated in the microwave or on a stovetop.
If soup's consistency is too thick, add a little bit of water to thin it out.
You can also freeze it in airtight containers for 3-4 months. I recommend storing in multiple smaller containers (or Ziplock bags) if you're not planning on eating all leftovers at once. For best results, thaw soup in the fridge overnight before re-heating and enjoying.
I think of this lentil soup as being healthy comfort food. Though you may often think of comfort food as being packed with cheese or cream or other "not so great for you ingredients," comfort food can also be healthy!
The warming spices in this soup combined with the hearty lentils, potatoes, and carrots make this an incredibly satisfying dinner.
Of course, I still decided to serve it with a side of garlic bread. Because, no matter how delicious soup is, I think it deserves a side of garlic bread.
I truly think this is the best lentil soup ever and I will be making it all fall and winter long!
What's your favorite satisfying soup?
🍲 More satisfying soup recipes
If you're looking for more healthy comfort food soups, check out the following:
- Chipotle Butternut Squash Soup
- Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup
- Broccoli Soup with Sautéed Mushrooms
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup {lightened up}
- Spicy Roasted Tomato Soup with Quinoa and Feta
- Wild Rice and Chicken Sausage Stew
I also can't wait to try this Autumn Corn Chowder with Roasted Pumpkin from Damn, Spicy!
📖 Recipe
The Best Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ¼ cup diced onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups peeled and sliced carrots
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 lb. white potatoes, cut into small cubes
- 1 ½ cups lentils (I recommend green or brown), picked over and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth (can substitute vegetable broth)
- 2 bay leaves
- Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Add oil to a large pot or dutch oven set over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add diced onions, salt, and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes, until onions are just starting to soften.
- Add in carrots and cook for another 5 minutes, until onions are starting to brown. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute.
- Stir in potatoes, lentils, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chicken broth. Add bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils and potatoes are softened, about 35-40 minutes. Remove bay leaves.
- Taste and add additional salt and pepper or other spices if necessary and serve soup in bowls topped with parsley.
- Optional: If you want a creamier soup, you can remove 2 cups of lentil soup from pot and add it to a blender to puree before stirring it back into the rest of the soup.
Notes
- To store soup: Cool before transferring to an airtight container and placing in fridge. Soup should keep for about 5 days and can be easily re-heated in the microwave or on a stovetop. If soup’s consistency is too thick, add a little bit of water to thin it out. You can also freeze it in airtight containers for 3-4 months. I recommend storing in multiple smaller containers (or Ziplock bags) if you’re not planning on eating all leftovers at once. For best results, thaw soup in the fridge overnight before re-heating and enjoying.
Susan from Food Blogga says
I love the addition of savory thyme and sweet nutmeg, ladies. I hope you don't mind though if I still call my grandmother's lentil soup the best ever. 🙂
So@24 says
I love lentil soup.
#1. Super easy to make
#2 lentils are DIRT cheap.
Thanks for the post!
Kalyn says
Definitely sounds very good. I keep coming up with new lentil soups, and every one is the best lentil soup ever!
Martha says
Nothing like a bowl of great lentil soup!
Erik says
I really like the spice combination you use in this recipe. Is it my imagination, or would a touch of cumin work as well?
chou says
I love lentil soup--especially since it freezes so well. Congrats on finding the perfect consistency.
k says
mmmm, i've never tried lentil soup before but this looks like the perfect meal for the cold, rainy days we've been having!! i think i'm gonna try this tonight!!
ANG* says
yum!
starred. i will be making this 🙂
Maria says
I love lentil soup! I better try the best recipe and soon!
Kevin says
Nice looking soup. I like the use of the cinnamon and nutmeg in it.
Jen says
I made this soup last Monday it was ok. Nice flavor and defenitly tasted autumn like. It was good but I probably won't make it again. I want more flavor in my soup it was a bit bland.
Su says
With the snow outside, I decided that it was the perfect day to make this soup. Absolutely delish! I added a few additional spices including organo and black pepper, and it was very well seasoned.
stu says
You've clearly never had Alton Brown's lentil soup. Per. Fec. Tion.
Forrest says
I added cayenne pepper which made this even better.