Lentil Soup
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This easy lentil soup recipe turns a handful of humble ingredients into a deeply flavorful and satisfying meal.
Many lentil soup recipes veer into porridge territory, but I prefer mine hearty without being so thick you could stand a spoon in it. Using French green lentils makes all the difference. They hold their shape beautifully as they cook, giving the soup plenty of texture without turning mushy. At the end, I also partially purée the soup—just enough to give the broth some body while leaving most of the lentils and vegetables intact.
For flavor, a little bacon adds smoky depth, while plenty of vegetables make it satisfying without feeling heavy. The result is a richly flavored lentil soup with great texture in every spoonful. Add some crusty bread on the side, and dinner is done.
“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, savory depth to the broth. You only need a few slices; the idea is to flavor the soup rather than make it bacon-heavy. 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 flavor to the soup.
- Canned diced tomatoes: Add acidity and a little sweetness, balancing the earthy lentils and smoky bacon.
- Chicken broth: Forms the base of the soup. Swap it with vegetable broth if you’re keeping it vegetarian.
- Lentils: My first choice is French green lentils, which are available at well-stocked grocery stores or online. Common brown or green lentils also work, but they’ll soften a bit more. Avoid red lentils, which will give the soup a very different texture.
- Thyme and bay leaves: These herbs give the soup delicious, earthy flavors.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Lentil Soup
Cook the bacon and vegetables: Cook the bacon until crisp and the fat has rendered, then add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
Simmer the soup: Add the tomatoes, broth, lentils, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape. The cook time will depend on the type of lentils you use; French green lentils take a little longer than common brown or green lentils, so use the texture—not just the clock—as your guide.
Partially purée and finish: Remove the bay leaves, then use an immersion blender to partially purée the soup, leaving most of the lentils and vegetables intact. This thickens the broth and gives the soup body without making it completely smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning and consistency as needed—you can add a splash of water if the soup is too thick.
No immersion blender? Transfer a few cups of the soup to a regular blender, purée until smooth, then stir it back into the pot.
Serve: Ladle into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve. This soup well for several days in the fridge or can be frozen for longer storage.
Video Tutorial
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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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This soup was hearty & satisfying. I made it time & a half for more leftovers and was happy with the results.
Made this as specified, but asked myself how many rustic French households had/have immersion blenders. Left it unblended, and it was perfect.
I realize that portions could have been mashed with a fork, etc, but it was VERY good as it was.
With a rustic French baguette, of course.
Hello. I don’t eat bacon. If I omit the bacon in the lentil soup recipe, would I need to add anything else instead, or change the cooking time? Thank you.
Hi Mary, It’s fine to omit the bacon; no other changes necessary. Enjoy!
Made this recipe last night just as listed except using brown lentils (will get the French lentils next time at Whole Foods). Honestly, I was hopeful and cautious at the same time since I had one bad experience with cooking lentils many years ago that did not turn out (texture). I have not made or eaten them since. I suspect in hindsight it was due to cooking them too long (brown lentils). I was hopeful because I have cooked about 7-8 recipes of Jenn’s the last 3-4 weeks that all turned out great, and I really wanted this one to convert me to a lentil soup lover. This recipe turned out fantastic and was so good last night and even better warmed up today for lunch. Thank you, Jenn, for your thorough notes regarding caution about overcooking brown lentils versus the time mentioned for French lentils. I cooked the brown ones about 20 minutes and it was perfect! This is a good basic soup for the season.
If omitting (pork) bacon, would this be better subbing turkey bacon or just without? (Turkey bacon has much less taste/crunch than regular, pork, bacon.)
I’d probably just leave it out, P. You could add a pinch of smoked paprika to replace some of the smoky flavor.
Excellent soup! Thanks so much for the recipe:)
Tried this soup and it is delicious! Added one more piece of bacon and a bit more good olive oil, one more piece of celery. We also used red lentils. Added the lentils to the pot to saute when veggies are almost done. Gives them a bit of smokey flavor due to the bacon. Thank you for this recipe.
I’ve made this several times as my husband and I love soup. The only thing I change is the bacon-I use 5 or 6 slices because we like it a little “meatier”. I make home made cornbread to go with this soup. YUM
Wow! Made this today and it was a hit. My 8 year old daughter loved it and I puréed it fully for my infant who couldn’t get enough! The only thing I changed was the tomatoes- didn’t have any canned on hand so I took 4 Roma tomatoes, emerged them into boiled water, skinned and chopped. Definitely a staple!
So happy to find this amazing recipe. Was looking for something to use the last of my green tomatoes and this was perfect! Followed recipe with the exception of substituting 4 medium green tomatoes for the canned tomatoes. Lovely soup for a chilly, fall day. Served with a drizzle of olive oil and Aleppo pepper and buttered, crusty bread. This is a keeper!