Lentil Soup Recipe

By Kari Sullivan from Austin, TX (Lentil Soup and Berries) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
  • Total: 2 hrs 25 mins
  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 2 hrs 20 mins
  • Yield: 6 servings

By Peggy Trowbridge Filippone

Updated 09/24/18

Lentil soup is loaded with protein and can easily suffice as a meal along with a salad, and perhaps some whole-grain bread. This hearty, heart-warming soup has few ingredients and is quite simple to make. You can leave it unblended and chunky, blend half, or blend it all -- whatever suits your personal taste.

Recipe reprinted with permission from What's Cooking America by Linda Stradley and Andra Cook (Falcon Pub).

What You'll Need

  • Ham or bacon pieces to taste
  • 2-1/2 cups or 1 (16-ounce) package dried lentils
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup grated carrots
  • 4 Tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmegSalt and white pepper to taste

How to Make It

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, combine ham or bacon pieces, lentils, and chicken broth; bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until lentils are soft.

Remove 2 cups of cooked lentils and place into or bowl; let cool 5 minutes (if you do not let cool slightly before processing, mixture will explode out of container and make a mess in your kitchen). After cooling, whirl until pureed.

Stir pureed lentils into soup mixture.

In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, saute onion and carrots in butter or margarine until limp, but do not brown; add to lentils. Add thyme, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Simmer another 30 minutes. Remove from heat and serve in bowls.

Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
365 Calories
6g Fat
55g Carbs
24g Protein
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)