Lentil Soup

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Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 8
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 260.9
  • Total Fat: 7.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
  • Sodium: 882.1 mg
  • Total Carbs: 37.1 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 12.0 g
  • Protein: 13.8 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Lentil Soup calories by ingredient


Introduction

This is my grandma's lentil soup. We would eat it every Friday when I was a kid. It's not exactly the same as her recipe, because sadly, like most Italian grandmothers, she never wrote down the recipe. But I think it's pretty close. This is my grandma's lentil soup. We would eat it every Friday when I was a kid. It's not exactly the same as her recipe, because sadly, like most Italian grandmothers, she never wrote down the recipe. But I think it's pretty close.
Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

    2 lbs dry lentils, any kind
    4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    4 medium carrots, chopped finely
    6 stalks of celery, chopped finely
    1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped finely
    1 head of garlic, chopped finely
    1 6-oz can of tomato paste
    9 tsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable stock base
    16 cups water
    2 tsp ground coriander
    1 tsp black pepper
    Salt to taste
    Cilantro, green onion, or other garnish.

Tips

-This is incredibly easy to make. It almost doesn't need instructions.
-I like to cook this on weekends in a large batch. It tastes even better the next day and freezes wonderfully.
-You really can't overcook this, so long as you keep it on low. Some days, I cook it for hours for the full, mushy effect because that's just how I prefer it.
-I'm crazy and I like a lot of garlic, so really feel free to add less if that's what you like. Also, feel free to change up the spices for whatever you like. I just like the flavor of coriander with lentils.
-For a thinner soup, add a little more water. But if you want a more stew-like texture, 16 cups is perfect.
-My favorite trick to getting all of the tomato paste out of the can is to fully cut open both ends of the can, remove one lid, and push the other lid all the way through to the other side. Genius, no?
-I tried cooking this in a crockpot once, but for some reason it didn't work, so the stove is really the best option in my opinion.


Directions

Add olive oil to a very large pot (just make sure it's something that's going to accommodate a whole four quarts of water, as well as the lentils, which will swell up to about twice their size). Heat to about medium. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until translucent but not brown. Add the garlic and tomato paste being careful not to burn them. Add the water, soup base, spices, and even salt if you want. Bring to a light boil, then set it on low for about 30-35 minutes (or longer if you like softer lentils) stirring occasionally. Once the lentils are soft to your liking, it's ready to serve. Pairs nicely with rice!

Serving Size: Makes eight servings, two cups each.

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user 09SASINOSKIM.