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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Loved it! Easy to make and the house smelled fantastic. I served it with roast beef sammies on crusty italian rolls-perfect meal for a cool fall day.
Hi Jenn. Thank you for this terrific recipe. This soup is delicious. Can This be made ahead and stored in the fridge for two days for a dinner party?
Sure, Maria. It will likely thicken up in the fridge; just add some broth or water to thin it back to the right consistency.
This soup was delicious! I didn’t have bacon so used pancetta instead and the flavor was even better. I will be making this again in the future.
Question: how do you know it was even better? had you made it previously with bacon? I have both in the freezer, so I’m curious before I start cooking…Thx
Followed the recipe exactly, and it was delicious! Even my husband, who usually doesn’t like lentils, loved it and asked me to make it again!
This is a very good and classic recipe. I left out the bacon because I’m vegetarian and substituted a delicious Field Grain brand vegan sausage. Still tasted yummy and I’ll definitely make this again.
Does this soup freeze well? 🙂
Yep!
This soup is so delicious that it’s on our regular rotation. Big flavor with little effort. I did modify a little by adding 1 tsp. oregano and cooked it in a pressure cooker to save time.
I made this on a rainy Sunday afternoon and my family enjoyed it for dinner and lunch. It was very good. I doubled the bacon but followed the recipe otherwise. It was very good.
I made a few minor changes & one substitution: I subbed 4 ounces of prosciutto for the bacon; I used Trader Joe’s pre-chopped Mirepoix instead of measuring and chopping my own carrots, onions, and celery; I used 1T dried parsley instead of 3T fresh; and I added 1 large red potato diced into about 1 cm cubes with enough time to cook it to tender. THIS SOUP WAS FABULOUS! My whole family couldn’t believe how delicious and savory it was; they were not expecting a lentil soup to be so delish. Thanks, Jen!
Made this today. It was absolutely delicious. I did use brown lentils and added a pinch of ground cumin for a bit more earthy taste. I served it with a scoop of long grain white rice, chopped cilantro, sliced jalapeno, avocado and a squeeze of lime. Would absolutely make it again, a definite winner.