Lentil soup is a delicious, healthy and easy dish to make. Lentils cook fairly quickly and easily; and once you've mixed all the ingredients, there's not much to do except stir occasionally for best results. While most people cook lentil soup in a saucepan, you can also cook it in a crock pot or dutch oven. Want to know how to cook it, start with step one.
Ingredients
Cooking Lentil Soup in a Pot
- 450 grams of lentils
- 1/2 clove of garlic
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup vinegar
- Feta cheese (optional)
- Bread (optional but highly recommended)
Cooking lentil soup in a slow cooker (Crock Pot)
- 450 grams of green lentils
- 1 liter of vegetable stock
- 4 cups of water
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- 4 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 can (0.4 liters) diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- a pinch of finely chopped cayenne pepper to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 14 grams of spinach, coarsely chopped
Making lentil soup in a dutch oven
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped.
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 tsp salt
- 450 grams of lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup chopped skinless tomatoes
- 2 liters of chicken/vegetable stock
- 1/2 tsp coriander, chopped fresh
- 1/2 tsp cumin, freshly ground
- 1/2 tsp cardamom, freshly ground
Step
Method 1 of 3: Cooking Lentil Soup in a Pot
Step 1. Wash the lentils
Pour 450g of lentils from the bag onto a clean, flat white surface and scoop out any pebbles that might be stuck between the lentils.
Step 2. Put water in a large saucepan until it is almost completely filled
Step 3. Clean 4-5 cloves of garlic and put them in a saucepan
You can add a little more or a little more, depending on how strong you want your garlic to taste to be.
Step 4. Add 4 bay leaves to the pot
Cooking soup with bay leaf will give it a distinctive taste.
Step 5. Heat the water and other ingredients on a hot fire
Step 6. Pour the lentils into the pan
Leave it slightly open and use a mixing spoon to prop up the lid.
Step 7. Bring the water to a boil
Once the water boils, reduce the heat to medium heat and cook the lentils for 35-45 minutes, depending on how long it takes to soften.
Step 8. Check the softness of the lentils periodically
When the lentils are soft but not yet cracked the sign is ready. Use a fork or spoon to check and stir occasionally.
Step 9. After cooking for 20 minutes, add vinegar, olive oil and salt to the pan
Add 1/3 cup vinegar, cup olive oil, and 1 or 2 tsp salt to the saucepan. Stir everything into the soup and let it simmer for the rest of the time.
Step 10. Turn off the stove and serve the soup
Once you're sure the lentils are ready, turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool briefly in the pot. This soup can be enjoyed on its own or served with bread and a sprinkling of feta cheese. If you want to combine this recipe, for the next time, you can try one of the following variations:
- Lentil soup with lemon and dill. Just add 3 tablespoons lemon juice and cup finely chopped fresh dill and mix well.
- Lentil soup with smoked paprika. Add 1 tsp smoked paprika powder for extra flavor.
- Lentil soup with sausage or bacon. Add 120 grams of smoked meat or diced sausage and cook until slightly crispy. Add other seasonings. You can remove the extra oil from the fat or use it instead of olive oil.
Method 2 of 3: Making Lentil Soup using a slow cooker
Step 1. Mix all ingredients except spinach in a slow cooker
Add 450 grams of green lentils, 1 liter of vegetable stock, 4 cups of water, 4 diced celery sticks, 4 diced carrots, 1 diced onion, 3-4 cloves of garlic, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 tsp dried oregano, 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves, a pinch of cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste in a large slow cooker. Stir the ingredients to mix well.
Step 2. Cook the soup over low heat for 8-10 hours
Cooking time depends on the time it takes the lentils to become soft without becoming too soft and how long it takes for the soup to thicken. When ready, turn off the heat.
Step 3. Add spinach
Add about 220 grams of spinach and let sit in the pan for a few minutes until wilted. You may think that you are adding too much spinach, but once the spinach wilts, the amount will decrease.
Step 4. Serve
Allow a few minutes to cool then serve or enjoy with french bread. If you want to make it with cream, you can add 1 tsp of sour cream.
Method 3 of 3: Making Lentil Soup Using a Dutch Oven
Step 1. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat
Place 2 tsp olive oil in a 6 liter dutch oven. Wait for it to heat up for at least a minute before you add the other ingredients.
Step 2. Add carrots, onions, celery and salt to the inside
Add 1 cup chopped onion, cup finely chopped carrots, cup finely chopped celery and 2 tsp salt to the dutch oven. Cook until the onions are translucent. This takes 6 to 7 minutes. Stir until well blended.
Step 3. Add the tomatoes, lentils, stock, coriander and cardamom to the oven and let it simmer
Add the remaining ingredients to the oven: 1 cup chopped skinless tomatoes, 450 grams of lentils, 2 liters of chicken/vegetable stock, tsp coriander, tsp cumin and tsp cardamom. Stir the ingredients until well blended. After that, preheat the oven to hot heat and let it boil.
Step 4. Reduce heat, cover and cook another 35-40 minutes
Cook the ingredients for the soup over low heat until the lentils are soft. You can check with a fork every now and then. If you want the soup to be thicker in consistency, you can put the ingredients in a blender before serving.
Step 5. Serve
Enjoy this soup with baguettes. This soup only takes a few minutes to cool and is ready to eat. If there are leftovers, simply store them in the fridge and enjoy them for the next few days.
Tips
- Lentils are high in iron which is important for blood health.
- If you are in a hurry to eat lentil soup, place it on a wide, flat and deep plate, as it will cool much faster than placing it in a bowl.
- A full pot can make 6 to 12 servings.
- Be sure to add the olive oil, vinegar and salt at the beginning of the cooking so that it mixes well with the soup.
- Some lentils generally need to be soaked in water for a few hours. It is a tougher breed, commonly found all over the world except in America.
- Slices of carrots, onions and celery make for an excellent taste in lentil soup. Cooked minced meat is also good mixed in lentil soup.
- Eat any kind of bread (except sliced white bread) or toast with your lentils.
- American lentils are usually softer and don't need to be soaked first.
- A cup or two of raw pasta (such as small clam pasta or ditalini) is all you need to turn your traditional lentil soup into sicilia lentil soup (make sure to add enough water and let it simmer before adding pasta, stirring while the pasta is cooking).
- You can even add sliced (not crushed) feta cheese for extra flavor.
- If you soak the lentils first, the cooking time will be significantly reduced.
Warning
- Make sure you leave the lid halfway open, as this can cause the soup foam to overflow and put out the fire, resulting in the spread of gases in the room.
- Do not leave lentil soup on the stove unattended. As with other foods, lentils can burn if you cook them too long.
- If you want to cook this for your friends, try making it a few times to make it more experienced.
