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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Would it be possible to sub tomato purée for chunks? Or any other kind of i have picky eater and wont eat chunks of tomatoe but will eat tomato based
Thank you I appreciate
Yes that’s fine, but I think I’d use less (about half) since it’s more concentrated.
One thing you might want to try is to use a small bottle of V-8 juice instead of the tomatoes. It adds to the variety of vegetables you are fitting into the soup. Also, when I make this type of lentil soup, I add a small block of frozen spinach, some parsnips and/or turnips along with the carrots and a few tablespoons of balsamic or cider vinegar. I make several types of lentil soup including a red lentil with tandoori seasoning and a green or brown lentil with spinach and puréed lemons.
This looks yummy! Do you remove the bacon grease after the bacon’s cooked or leave it in the pan before adding the next ingredients? Thanks!
You’ll leave the bacon grease in the pan as that, along with the olive oil, provides something to fry the vegetables in (and adds a lot of flavor). Hope you enjoy!
Jenn this is my favorite of your soups. So delicious eat it all myself. I’m just wondering if you changed the name of it. Is this the same recipe that used to be titled “French lentil and vegetable soup with bacon”? I’ve been following you for years now and have made many of your recipes – all A++! Thank you for making me look like a good cook!
Hi Donna, yes, I did change the name of the soup (and so glad you like this one as well as other recipes)! 😊
I have a kid with new braces who is basically eating through a straw – love all your recipes but wonder if I could use red lentils and just buzz up the soup – I assume it would still taste nice?
Sure, Chrishy – that’ll work fine. Enjoy and good luck with the new braces. 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
Oh my word, this soup is good! My only modifications, I didn’t add the olive oil (just kept all bacon grease), added a pinch of red pepper flakes, used homemade chicken stock, added a pound of ground chicken thigh (cooked) at the end, and didn’t blend the soup. My soup was pretty thick with the addition of the ground chicken. Amazing flavors and so hearty!
This is it!!! I’ve been trying to replicate lentil soup that I had while I was in Canada. Oh my goodness. This soup is so so so good. I’m doubling the recipe to give to a friend. You won’t be disappointed.
Love this soup. We are vegetarian so I omit the bacon. Tons of fiber and so yummy.Lola
How do you tell when lentils are done? Its cooking now so I don’t feel comfortable rating it.
Hi Laurie, I’m obviously weighing in too late to help, but you’ll know the lentils are done when they’re tender (but not mushy). Hope the soup came out nicely!
Easy recipe. I used fire roasted tomatoes and du Puy lentils. Delicious
This was delicious, made it with ham instead of bacon. Thank You!