Italian Lentil Soup
This Italian Lentil Soup, is a delicious healthy One Pot Soup Recipe. A hearty creamy soup without adding milk or cream. Perfect for lunch or dinner, serve with some crusty bread and dinner is served!
Lentils are very popular in Italy. Especially at New Years Eve / Day. No house is without a big pot Lentils & Sausage Stew. Italians are a very superstitious group. They eat Lentils at Midnight, which represents luck and prosperity in the coming new year.
My mother-in-law always made a delicious homemade Lentil soup with her homemade sausages. I decided to leave out the sausages and make it a just veggie soup.
Recipe Ingredients
- Lentils
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Broth
- Tomatoes – Pelati tomatoes
- Oregano
- Basil
- Bay leaf
- Hot pepper flakes
- Potatoes
- Baby spinach – you can use regular spinach and just cut it in half
What are Pelati Tomatoes?
Pelati tomatoes are skinned plum (san marzano) tomatoes that are canned in their own juice with no additives such as salt, garlic basil etc. You can also use canned chopped tomatoes or even passata as long as there is nothing added to the tomatoes.
How to make it
In a large bowl of water soak the lentils for approximately 1-2 hours, then drain and rinse. Chop the celery, carrots and potatoes.
In a large pot add the oil, chopped onion, carrots and celery, cook for 2 minutes stirring often then add the garlic and cook until onion is transparent.
Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes and spices. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and continue to cook for 30 minutes.
In the last 5 minutes add the spinach, stir to combine. At this point you can remove ⅓-½ the soup and blend until smooth either in a blender or food processor, then add it back into the pot. Heat through and serve.
How to make homemade broth
In a large pot add a few pieces of meat or chicken (bone in is also a good idea) or as I did for this recipe I used only vegetables, a carrot and an onion peeled and cut in half, a celery stalk cut in two, a bay leaf, 2-3 pepper corns, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt and 12 cups of water.
Bring it to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for about three hours. Stir occasionally and remove any foam that appears on the top of the broth. Pour the broth through a sieve, and let the liquid cool before using.
Any unused broth can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days. It can also be frozen in freezer safe containers and will keep for up to 6 months.
If you prefer you can always use store bought broth, just be careful about adding the salt, store bought can be very salty. It would be best to make the soup and taste for salt after it is cooked.
What are the difference between Lentils?
The brown and green lentils will retain their shape well, whereas the, split red and yellow lentils will disintegrate, therefore, a lot of people prefer these to green and brown in soups and stews. Personally I prefer the brown which is what I usually use. Although if you are pureeing soup red and yellow would be best to use.
What to serve with Homemade soup
I guess it all depends on if you are serving the soup as a main dish as a soup such as this one is, I like to serve a really good bread with soup, from Homemade Ciabatta bread to Soft Dinner Rolls to even a soft Focaccia, or if you prefer a simple lettuce salad always works.
FAQs
It isn’t really necessary to soak lentils but I like to let them soak for about 1-2 hours, they will cook faster and soaking helps with easier digestion. If you decide not to soak the lentils then just rinse them under cold water before cooking, they may take a bit longer to cook.
Lentil Soup should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It can be re-heated on the stove or microwave. It will last up to three to four days in the fridge.
It freezes very well too, freeze in a freezer safe container. The soup will last up to six months in the freezer.
I hope you give this easy soup a try. I like to serve it with some Homemade Biscuits or sometimes I cut a few slices of bread, top it with shredded cheese. Then melt the slices in the oven and serve it with a big bowl of this Italian Lentil Soup. Buon Appetito!
More Delicious Soups
Italian Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried Lentils* (190 grams)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 carrots (chopped) (1 cup / 120 grams)
- 1 celery stalk chopped (¼ cup + 1 tablespoon / 45 grams)
- 1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4-5 cups vegetable or chicken broth (940-1175 grams)
- 1 can pelati tomatoes (mashed) (1¾ cups /240 grams)
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-2 dashes hot pepper flakes or black pepper 1
- 2 medium potatoes (chopped) (1 ¾ cups – 240 grams)
- 1 ½ cup baby spinach leaves (45 grams)
- salt**
*I like to soak the lentils for about 1-2 hours, they cook faster and aids ingestion.
**Depending if you use store bought or homemade broth you may want to add the salt after the soup is almost cooked.
Instructions
- In a large bowl of water soak the lentils for approximately 1-2 hours, then drain and rinse.
- In a large pot add the oil, chopped onion, carrots and celery, cook for 2 minutes stirring often then add the garlic and cook until onion is transparent.
- Then add the lentils, broth, tomatoes and spices. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and continue to cook for 30 minutes, in the last 5 minutes remove the bay leaf and add the spinach, stir to combine. At this point you can remove ⅓-½ the soup and blend until smooth* then add back into the pot. Heat through and serve.
*I removed about 3 ladles full (1 -1 ½ cups), I left mine not completely smooth, a little coarse.
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from December 30, 2015.
I haven’t tried tour recipe yet but I Just noticed that “L’angolo della golosità .blogspot.com” used your picture of the lentils stew to go with her recipe of lentils. Just for your info…
Congratulazioni for your beautiful blog!
Paola Carini
Hi Paola, thanks so much for letting me know. And thanks so much for the wonderful compliment. Take care and have a wonderful week.
Will frozen chopped spinach work in this recipe? I estimate 1/2 of a 10oz package thawed. What do you think?
Hi Diane, I think it would work really well and the amount sounds good. Let me know how it goes. Take care.
I have tried some of your recipes and love them I try to stay away from desserts thank you for everything
Hi Darlene, thanks so much, so glad you enjoy the recipes. Take care!
what are pelati tomatoes?
Hi Joan, pelati tomatoes are skinned plum (san marzano) tomatoes that are canned in their own juice with no additives such as salt, garlic basil etc. You can also use canned chopped tomatoes or even passata as long as there is nothing added to the tomatoes. Hope that helps.
It wouldn’t be exaggerated if I said that this soup has literally touched my soul. I’m not a fan of stews or soups, but this recipe got me, my sister and my mom addicted on lentils! We never really had it stocked at home, but now we never leave the store without grabbing at least one bag, just in case the weather is Lentilsoup-ish.
I made very small changes here, instead of fresh celery roots, I used dry grounded celery. With one pelati tomato cans I added extra 2 t/s thick tomato paste, made the soup thicker. with Oregano, basil and bay leaves, I used local spice mixture(Blue fenugreek, Adjika, chilli peppers) generally used in bean based recipes, but it went well with this one as well.
When I first made this, I had to skip spinach, but then I served with our local side dish called Phkhali (Minced vegetables in a ball shape. It is mainly made from spinach, cabbage or beans and is topped with pomegranate seeds.) and DOUBLE HEAVEN!
My most recent addition was another side dish Chakhrakina (flatbread also made with boiled minced spinach and cheese filling).
I think I will never get bored by this recipe, sending a big thank you from my family!
Hi Elenee, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it and I love the different additions you made, sounds delicious. Take care and have a great rest of the week.
Rainy day today and was looking for a nice soup recipe and stumbled upon this one! The flavor is out of this world!! I made two batches and froze one for a later date, amazing soup! My husband ran out and got a loaf of rustic artesian bread at our local coop, as the soup was cooking, he said the smell drove him to do his part!1
Hi Ashley, thanks so much, yes and so good with bread. Your husband was right. Take care and have a great weekend.
So delicious…thanks!
Hi Lo, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Have a great weekend.
Hi Rosemary, Just dropping you a wee line from Scotland (I’m Scots/Italian) to let you know how I got on with your Italian Lentil Soup.
I made it on Sunday evening and left it overnight, we had it yesterday (Monday) and the soup had thickened naturally with the red lentils. I have, but the rest of the family have never had soup made with tomatoes in this way and were a wee bit apprehensive when I told them about it but I must say when I served it they loved it, although I’ve been asked to leave the spinach out the next time as they weren’t too keen on it. My wife really enjoyed it with the warm crusty bread that I had just made.
She has asked me to make it again but blitz it and use it as a sauce for my family recipe meatballs the next time I make them, I think it’s a great idea. I’m glad the the soup was a winner and it will now become part of the family soup selection. Thank you once again for a wonderful recipe.
Hi Stephen, thanks so much, my friend and I did quite a bit of travelling when we were younger and one of our favourite trips was to Scotland, so beautiful. Glad everyone liked the soup (except for the Spinach 🙂 ). Good idea using it as a sauce. Take care.
What lentils do I use? Colour?
Hi Jordan, I usually use brown, although any will work in this recipe. Whatever your favourite is. Let me know how it goes.
I’ve been making this soup for a few years now and it is delicious. It’s a good recipe that is easily adjusted for whatever vegetables you have in hand. It is comfort food, especially when the skies get grey and the weather turns chilly but I eat it all year round. Healthful too! And it’s great for breakfast with a piece of crunchy toast. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Noel, thanks nothing like a hot soup in the winter time!
Happy New Year! I just made this but added 2 sausages that were in my freezer left over from Christmas sauce and tossed in a thawed package of frozen, chopped spinach. Outstanding flavor. So glad I made this. Here’s hoping for good luck for your family and ours — and for our 11-year old Chocolate Lab, Nino, who is getting some surgery today.
Rosemary, We always have our lentil soup (usually with sausage) at midnight on New Yea’s Eve! And we wear the red undies for good luck, too. Wow, Italians are superstitious!! I’ll be thinking of you, as we eat our soup (you’ll be sleeping–you’re 7 hours ahead of us). Happy New Year—hope 2016 brings you everything you’re hoping for.
Hi Diane, I love Lentil Soup with Sausage too, and yes the red undies! Thanks, Happy New Year to you too. 🙂
Happy new year, Rosemary. I’m a silent follower for so long. I’m German, living in Scotland and cook always from scratch. Many Italian recipes are similar to German recipes- like this lentil soup. But we don’t eat it with zucchini and we soak the lentils over night. And I love the soup with a splash of cider vinegar. Yummy.
Hi Nessie,Sounds delicious with cider vinegar, Happy New Year to you and your family. 🙂 and thanks for following.
This looks so delicious and warming, especially on a day like today… it’s cold and gloomy in New England. Bonus points for the soup bringing luck and prosperity in the new year! Thanks for sharing! ~Jean
Hi Jean, I hope you stay warm and eat lots of soup! Happy New Year to you and your family Jean.
Happy New Year, Rosemary! Hope your lentils bring lots of luck in the new year 🙂
Happy New Year to you too April, and lets all eat Lentils.;)