Brown lentils are the star of this dish. To boost flavor, we used a classic mirepoix—onion, celery and carrot – as well as thyme, bay and oregano for an herby finish. We found the fresh lemon juice and parsley at the end brightened up the soup and added a nice pop of color.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 large celery stalk (about 2 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 7 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped (about 1 teaspoon leaves)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus the juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for garnish, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are starting to caramelize and take on a dark brown color, 8 to 10 minutes (this step is important as it will add tons of flavor to your soup!).
- Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook, scraping up the brown bits, until the garlic is fragrant and slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add in the lentils, stock, 4 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of black pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the lentils are softened with just a bit of bite, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf. Puree 2 1/2 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth then stir back into the pot. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Ladle into bowls and garnish with more parsley.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 263 |
| Total Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 648 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 263 |
| Total Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 648 mg |
Reviews
Delicious and easy.
This was awesome. Only thing I didn’t do was add lemon. I added two bullion cubes and some onion salt. Delicious. Will be making often.
Very worth the effort!
Lots of chopping, but so worth it. Fresh thyme and lemon really kick this over the top.
Really tasty! Served with some nice crusty bread.
I made this with homemade turkey stock instead of veg. I thought it was a bit bland so I added ground Cumin, Coriander and Chipotle pepper. I also had to cook for a while to get rid of the excess liquid.
I will definitely make again, but use only 1tsp salt at end.
I did the sautée stovetop, then cooked on high in a slow cooker about 3 hours to finish it while I went out.
Thanks!
I did the sautée stovetop, then cooked on high in a slow cooker about 3 hours to finish it while I went out.
Thanks!
Pretty good, came together fast.
I didn’t bother with parsley, added a cup of frozen green peas instead at the end. Swapped chili flakes for a couple tsp minced Calabrian chili.
Balsamic vinegar instead of lemon. Spot on!
I didn’t bother with parsley, added a cup of frozen green peas instead at the end. Swapped chili flakes for a couple tsp minced Calabrian chili.
Balsamic vinegar instead of lemon. Spot on!
Delicious and easily customizable! I added more veggies and a whole pack of spinach at the end. SO GOOD!
FN has a collection of the “best recipes.” Some of them miss the mark, some are good, and some are truly the best. This one is truly the best lentil soup I’ve ever had. I’ve made lentil soup recipes that have warm spices like cumin and chili powder, and those are very good, but this is even better. I have to admit that I couldn’t find brown lentils at my local grocery store so I just used green lentils and it was a perfect substitute. I kept all the other ingredients the same. No need to change a thing. It’s definitely going into my rotation.