# Lentil Soup



## ilovesoup

This gorgeous soup can be traced all the way back to the Old Testament. In Genesis 25:29-34 you can read how Jacob’s brother, Esau, sold his birthright as oldest son to his younger brother, merely for a bowl of Lentil Soup! So yes, this soup is truly delicious and comforting. Whether you should sell your birthright for it? Well, I will let you decide on that.

My mom and I love to make this soup with brown lentils, as they are stronger flavored and hold their shape after being cooked.  You can blend the soup after it’s done, but for us it’s all about the texture. We use beef stock but feel free to use vegetarian or chicken stock instead.  Extra yummy, if you serve the soup with homemade croutons and some fried curry onion rings as garnish.

Ingredients

For the soup:

2 tbsp. of olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 sticks of celery, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely diced

1 leek, white part only, cleaned and finely chopped

350g (1½ cup) brown lentils, washed and drained

2L Beef/Chicken/Vegetable stock

1 lime

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp.  salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

For garnish:

1 tbsp. of olive oil

2 onions, sliced in rings

½ tsp. mild curry powder

6 slices of old bread

olive oil to drizzle over the croutons

garlic/garlic salt

Preparation

For the soup heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions and gently fry without coloring for 10 minutes or until softened.

Then add the carrot, celery and leek, again gently fry without coloring. Add the lentils, mix all ingredients gently and pour in your stock. Bring to boil and once boiling reduce the heat, simmer covered for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

When lentils are soft, stir in the cumin, lime, salt and pepper.

While the soup is simmering, preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. or 350  degrees F. Slice each bread slice into cubes and sprinkle with olive oil and if you like, garlic or garlic salt. Place on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until cubes are dried. Keep an eye on them while bake to make sure they don’t burn.

When you are about to serve the soup, fry the onions in olive oil and season with curry powder. Pour the ready soup into the serving dish, add the fried onions, croutons and enjoy!


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## vitauta

there's hardly any more gratifying a comfort food than a good hearty soup.  lentil soup is one of my favorite winter soups--complex and satisfying.  your recipe sounds awesome, ils!!  with its extra touches of curried fried onions and lime, it sounds even better than my own lentil soup, which i enjoy very much every time i make it.  i look forward to trying you and your mother's lentil soup next time.  thank you for sharing it....


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## Addie

Thanks for the reminder. I have some leftover pea soup in the fridge. That takes care of what I am going to eat for supper.


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## Robo410

I love lentil soup. Thanks for another recipe to add to my repertory.


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## ilovesoup

Robo410 said:


> I love lentil soup. Thanks for another recipe to add to my repertory.



You're very welcome !


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## Aunt Bea

[FONT=&quot]My Buddy Diogenes said, “If you could learn to live on lentils, you would not have to flatter the king.”[/FONT]


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## ilovesoup

vitauta said:


> there's hardly any more gratifying a comfort food than a good hearty soup.  lentil soup is one of my favorite winter soups--complex and satisfying.  your recipe sounds awesome, ils!!  with its extra touches of curried fried onions and lime, it sounds even better than my own lentil soup, which i enjoy very much every time i make it.  i look forward to trying you and your mother's lentil soup next time.  thank you for sharing it....



Thanks for your comments. Please share once you have tried out the soup. I'm curious whether it truly is better than your recipe. If you would like to share your favorite lentil soup recipe please, feel free to do so.

All the best,
Claire


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## ilovesoup

Aunt Bea said:


> [FONT=&quot]My Buddy Diogenes said, “If you could learn to live on lentils, you would not have to flatter the king.”[/FONT]


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## Soma

Thanks for the great -looking recipe, right up my alley. I will make it soon, and report. I too prefer chewy lentils, so will use the brown ones.


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## Timothy

Aunt Bea said:


> [FONT=&quot]My Buddy Diogenes said, “If you could learn to live on lentils, you would not have to flatter the king.”[/FONT]


 
Or more fully:

"Aristippus passed Diogenes as he was washing lentils.

He said, “If you could but learn to flatter the king, you would not have to live on lentils.”

Diogenes said, “And if you could learn to live on lentils, you would not have to flatter the king.”


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## ilovesoup

Soma said:


> Thanks for the great -looking recipe, right up my alley. I will make it soon, and report. I too prefer chewy lentils, so will use the brown ones.


Brilliant Soma, am looking forward to your report!


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## taurus430

I made lentil soup 2 weeks ago and was very disappointed. I cooked it in the slow cooker for hours and after that, they still were not tender. Maybe they were not to fresh or something, but I wound up putting the immersion blender in it. Same thing happened with my split pea soup.


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## ilovesoup

taurus430 said:


> I made lentil soup 2 weeks ago and was very disappointed. I cooked it in the slow cooker for hours and after that, they still were not tender. Maybe they were not to fresh or something, but I wound up putting the immersion blender in it. Same thing happened with my split pea soup.



Hi Taurus430, thanks for your post. I can totally understand your disappointment. As I am writing about soups, experimenting and making soups all the time I do sometimes experience some not so great batches too!

It does suprise me that the lentils were not tender yet after several hours and so far I have not come across 'not to fresh lentils'. 

I would really like to suggest you to buy the 'ordinary' brown lentils next time and use a regular stockpot instead of the slow cooker. If you feel up to it , it would be great if you could give my recipe a try.

Best wishes, Claire


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## Addie

Having never made lentil soup, does one have to soak them like they do beans for bean soup?


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## taurus430

Addie said:


> Having never made lentil soup, does one have to soak them like they do beans for bean soup?


 
Lentils and split peas do not have to be soaked before making soup.


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## taurus430

ilovesoup said:


> Hi Taurus430, thanks for your post. I can totally understand your disappointment. As I am writing about soups, experimenting and making soups all the time I do sometimes experience some not so great batches too!
> 
> It does suprise me that the lentils were not tender yet after several hours and so far I have not come across 'not to fresh lentils'.
> 
> I would really like to suggest you to buy the 'ordinary' brown lentils next time and use a regular stockpot instead of the slow cooker. If you feel up to it , it would be great if you could give my recipe a try.
> 
> Best wishes, Claire


 
Thanks for your reply! I did use brown lentils in that batch. 
I am a lover of soup also, and make it all the time. I just got into butternut squash soup, love it.
Although I don't eat canned soups, I just had Amy's Organic Lentil Soup which I love. The lentils are so tender and the soup is creamy. I tweaked it a bit and added some organic kale and left over spaghetti, topped it with parmesan cheese. mmmmm!!
Is your lentil soup recipe on here in the soup section? Although I joined a while ago, I never got a chance, as now to enjoy this site. I am doing a lot of bread/roll baking now.  Rob


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## vitauta

i haven't soaked any dried peas, beans or lentils for years now, and seriously suspect that the previous years when i did do so it wasn't at all necessary....if there is such a thing as old legumes i've not seen them...and i've seen literally mountains of them cause i love dries pea and bean soups so very much.  make sure you are cooking with enough liquid....?


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## taurus430

ilovesoup said:


> Hi Taurus430,
> I would really like to suggest you to buy the 'ordinary' brown lentils next time and use a regular stockpot instead of the slow cooker. If you feel up to it , it would be great if you could give my recipe a try.
> 
> Best wishes, Claire


 
LOL, I asked in the other post for your recipe,not realizing it's on pg 1 of this thread!!!!! Thanks. I will have to try it.


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## Addie

taurus430 said:


> Lentils and split peas do not have to be soaked before making soup.


 

I knew about split peas. I make that often. It has always been a family favorite. Anytime there is a ham bone, pea soup follows.


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## ilovesoup

Addie said:


> Having never made lentil soup, does one have to soak them like they do beans for bean soup?



Addie, you don't have to soak the brown lentil. Just make sure to rinse them well before you use them.


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## HistoricFoodie

Neither lentils, split peas, nor cowpeas need pre-soaking. 

Just about all other beans benefit from it. Or you can use the so-called "quick cook" method, which consists of bringing them up to boil, then letting them sit for at least two hours. Change the water when ready to cook, and proceed as usual.


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