Hearty Lentil Soup
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This is the best lentil soup recipe you’ll find—smoky, packed with veggies and hearty lentils for a satisfying, well-balanced meal. Add a slice of crusty bread and you’ve got comfort in a bowl.
Whether you’re trying to eat a little lighter or just want something warm and comforting, this hearty lentil soup really hits the spot. It starts with lots of vegetables and a bit of bacon for depth, but the real upgrade is using French green lentils (lentilles du Puy). Chefs love them for their earthy, peppery flavor and the way they hold their shape as they cook—they give the soup great texture without turning thick or mushy. (They’re also fantastic in lentil salads.)
French green lentils are easy to find in well-stocked grocery stores—places like Whole Foods usually carry them—or you can order them online. If you only have regular brown or green lentils, you can absolutely use them, but the French ones do take it to the next level.
“Husband is a big lentil soup fan, and said this was the best he’s ever had.”
What You’ll Need To Make Lentil Soup
- Bacon: Adds smoky depth to the soup. Freeze it for 15 minutes before chopping to make it easier to handle. For a vegetarian version, skip the bacon and add a pinch of smoked paprika for that hint of smokiness.
- Onion, celery, carrots, garlic: The classic veggie base adds sweetness, depth, and aromatics to the soup.
- Canned diced tomatoes: Lend a slight acidity and richness, balancing the flavor of the soup.
- Chicken broth: Forms the base of the soup. Swap it with vegetable broth if you’re keeping it vegetarian.
- Lentils: Hearty, low in calories, and full of fiber, they thicken the soup and add texture and protein. While brown or green lentils work fine, French lentils are ideal for their peppery flavor and firm texture. No need to soak them—just pick out any damaged ones before cooking.
- Thyme and bay leaves: These fresh herbs give the soup delicious, earthy flavors.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Crisp the bacon. In a large pot over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring often, until it’s crispy and the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes.
Step 2. Sauté the vegetables. Add the olive oil, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
Pro Tip: Don’t rush this step — let the onions get fully translucent and the carrots start to soften before moving on. Those extra few minutes here mean deeper flavor later.
Step 3. Add the soup base. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth, lentils, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 45 minutes (a bit less for common lentils).
Step 4. Partially purée. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup a little at a time until the broth thickens slightly, keeping most of the lentils intact. If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend a few cups in a regular blender and stir it back in.
Step 5. Finish and serve. Season to taste and adjust the consistency if needed, adding a splash of water if it’s too thick (it tends to thicken as it sits). Ladle into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve. This soup keeps for 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge or can be frozen for longer storage.
Pro Tip: When garnishing with parsley, chop it close to serving time. Pre-chopped parsley oxidizes quickly and loses its fresh, grassy flavor.
More Cozy, Flavor-Packed Soups to try
Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
- 6 cups chicken broth, best quality such as Swanson
- 1 cup French lentils, lentilles du Puy or common brown or green lentils
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- A few tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Fry the bacon in a large pot over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the olive oil, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Do not brown; reduce heat if necessary. Add the tomatoes (with their juices), broth, lentils, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover partially, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the lentils are tender, 45 to 50 minutes (see note on cooking time if using common brown or green lentils). Fish out the bay leaves and discard.
- Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until the broth is slightly thickened, or to desired consistency. (Be careful not to purée too much or the soup will get too thick, and you'll lose the integrity of the lentils.) If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer about 2 cups of the soup to a blender and purée until smooth, then return the blended soup to the pot. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired and serve. (Note: The soup may thicken as it sits; thin with a bit of water if necessary.)
Notes
- If using common brown or green lentils instead of French lentils, start checking for doneness around 30 minutes.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The soup can be prepared up to 3 days in advance, or frozen for up to 3 months for longer storage. To defrost, let the soup thaw in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to serve, reheat the soup on the stovetop over medium heat until it's thoroughly hot. If you find the soup has thickened more than you'd like during its time in the fridge or freezer, simply stir in a little water or broth to reach your desired consistency.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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A double batch of this soup is resting on my stove as i type. I’ll serve it tonight for dinner with a fresh loaf of bread and salad.
I don’t eat meat, so I skipped the bacon and added the extra olive oil as noted to another poster. After the soup was done and partially blended, I did my usual “taste test”.
For me the flavor didn’t bowl me over…perhaps I overcooked? I’m not sure. I wound up adding about a tbsp. more of thyme which improves it, but I’m wondering if the loss of the bacon flavor impacts the result more than thought?
It will be a nice soup (the thyme with lentils has a savory flavor), so it’s not a loss. But it’s not as jazzy as I’d hoped.
Hi Robin, I’m sorry to hear you found the soup a little bland. The bacon does add a lot of flavor but it should still be quite tasty without it from all the vegetables. I’m wondering, did you use regular chicken broth or low-sodium? That would make a big difference. In any case, it may just need salt to bring out all the flavors, or else you could try a dash of smoked paprika to mimic the smokiness of the bacon or a splash of balsamic vinegar (add little by little) to brighten it up.
OMG! Just made this for dinner! It was amazing! My kids were licking the bowl!! So far every recipe I have made has become a family favorite! Thank you for doing all that you do! You have made me a much better cook!!
I really appreciate the initial picture with the ingredients for this reason: I have a really busy schedule, I look at the picture, know I only need to get the Lentils, and then open the entire email when at home and ready to cook. Love it! Thank you
Thanks for the feedback, Kathleen. Good to know!
This was the first time I’ve ever had lentils. The soup had amazing flavor, but the texture was kind of strange. I think next time I’ll blend it a little more. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Jessica, You can definitely can play around with the thickness of the soup. I prefer it just slightly thickened, but it’s a matter of personal taste.
Made this tonight and it was fantastic!!! This is a keeper.
I saw this recipe come through my email while I was at work and wanted nothing else to eat for dinner. We just finished eating this for dinner and it was fantastic. The whole family (especially my 5 year old) loved it. My husband is Greek and adds a squeeze of lemon to just about everything. I had my soup without the lemon and had a taste with the lemon. Both were magnificent! Thanks for such a wholesome and delicious meal!
Hi Liz, So glad you all enjoyed. You can also add a splash of balsamic vinegar at the end for a little zing.
Hi Jenn,
I’ve been looking for a good lentil soup recipe and here it is! I bought some the other day but they are “red split” ; the bag gives a cooking time of 12 min. When I make your soup, I’ll let all the flavors meld for awhile and toss in the lentils toward the end. Looking forward to it thank you
Hi Linda, Sounds like a good plan. Please let me know how it turns out.
We are experiencing a “January thaw” in New England, but it is still cold and this soup will be delicious. It is so helpful to see the ingredients you use in the beautiful photos. Like all your recipes, can’t wait to try it. Thank you, Jenn!
Lentils was on my shopping list for this weekend already. I was going to make the Food 52 post for lentil salad, but this looks good too. I’ll have to forego the bacon.
Hi Danita, If you want to leave out the bacon, simply use a few more tablespoons olive oil. It will still be delicious.
Hi Jenn,
I have tried several of your recipes and they have all been great. I made the lentil soup, but did not have the bacon and it was still delicious…Thank you!
The soup looks wonderful, but please note that not all French green lentils are Lentilles du Puy. They must have that marked on the box or package for it to be real. And it makes a huge difference. Coops and Whole Foods sell French green lentils in bulk (at least in the Twin Cities, and they are NOT du Puy.
Hi Susan, Interesting. I’ve found the real deal at my Whole Foods in the DC area. In any case, you can tell authentic lentils du Puy by their color — they’re slate green, marbled with flecks of darker slate blue. They look a whole lot different than common brown, red or green lentils so they should be easy to spot.