I know for some of you the weather is getting a bit too warm for a soup like this, but I wanted to sneak it in before the summer.  It is one of my favorite soups.   It has tons of fiber, tons of vegetables, and tons of flavor.  I make it, freeze it, and then anytime I want to feel good about what I eat, I pull a bowl of it out my freezer and heat it up for lunch.

Though I changed this recipe so much that it is definitely my own now, my inspiration came from a book my friend Shannon gave me.  It’s by America’s Test Kitchen and is called The New Best Recipe.  It’s a fantastic cookbook, and I would recommend it for anyone who is a serious cook.  My starting point for this lentil soup was their “hearty lentil soup.”  I switched mine to vegetarian, and changed some other things around, but I couldn’t have made this good of a soup without the book.

Oh, and I just want to briefly mention that the toast in the picture there is from the same baguette I froze a couple weeks ago.  All I did was pop the frozen pieces in the toaster.

lentil soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt, plus a large pinch
5-6 large carrots, peeled (if not organic), and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 14 ounce (400g) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup (100g) lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (118mL) white wine or grape juice, whatever you have
4 cups (950mL) vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup (236mL) water
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3-4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

1.  Pour oil in a large pot set over medium heat.  Add in onions and a generous pinch of salt.  Saute for a minute or two and add in carrots.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic.  Cook for a minute more, stirring frequently to prevent burning, then add in thyme, tomatoes, lentils, a teaspoon salt, and pepper.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.  Retrieve any thyme stems.

2.  Pour in juice (or wine), stock and water.  Increase heat to medium.  Cover partially and let simmer for about 30 minutes, until onions are tender.  Use an immersion blender and puree most of the soup. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, simply place 4-5 cups of the soup into a standard blender, puree, and return to the pot.  Add in vinegar and parsley.  Serve.

11 Responses to “lentil soup you’ll absolutely love. trust me.”

1. Erin says:

   12 May 2009 at 7:57 am

   This looks amazing! It’s tough to find good hearty meals that my non-vegetarian boyfriend will love, but with this, I think I’ve found a winner.
   Question: How long do you think it will last in the freezer? (If I make it in August when I’m not super busy, and assuming I don’t eat it all, should the freezer keep it through December (the end of final exams?))
   Thanks for this great recipe!
2. Jen T says:

   12 May 2009 at 11:57 am

   Yummy! We are having some rainy, cooler spring days this week, so this should go great on our menu! Thanks for sharing!
3. Brooke says:

   12 May 2009 at 1:58 pm

   That carrot picture is pure art.

   LOVING the new camera! LOVING IT!
4. Jaime says:

   12 May 2009 at 1:58 pm

   @Erin You, know? I think it will last that long. I think I once got really lentil souped out and let the soup go in the freezer for about 8 months, and it was fine. We have one of those freezers that frosts over, though, which I hear is better for the freshness of the food. Most freezers are frost free, and if you use that kind, then try to eat the soup within 6 months.
5. Kim says:

   13 May 2009 at 12:57 am

   Yummy. I’ll eat lentil soup anytime. Maybe just not warm it up so much if it’s hot outside. In fact, it sounds perfect for breakfast right now! I make a similar soup that includes eggplant as well. Found you through tastespotting – great photos you have here!
6. Shannon says:

   15 May 2009 at 4:39 pm

   I love this soup also. And yes Cook’s Illustrated is wonderful.
7. Chris R says:

   20 September 2009 at 1:07 pm

   Nice blog you have here. I like your take on lentil soup.

   Being a vegetarian, I appreciate the vegetarian recipes you have.

   Consider your site bookmarked.
8. Jennifer says:

   20 September 2009 at 8:58 pm

   Our weather, here in CA, is just starting to turn to fall. I think your lentil soup is the first recipe I have ever drooled over. We just finished dinner 1/2 hour ago!

   Thank you for your beautiful blog. Breath of fresh air after a long day!
9. Leigh Sabey says:

   23 September 2009 at 5:11 pm

   I just pulled up my bookmark for this recipe and realized that I haven’t commented yet about how delicious it is! It’s become one of our staples. I finally copied down the recipe today so I don’t need to refer to my laptop while cooking. Thanks!!!
10. Christine says:

    1 October 2009 at 2:56 pm

    I made this today but I made a few changes. My family is not a huge fan of cooked carrots. So I halved the carrots and added potatoes. I also had no thyme so I used basil instead which was nice with the tomato. I did add more salt and pepper than the recipe calls for but when my husband mentioned that the soup was missing something he first thought of beef. I haven’t exactly made a roast recently to come up with that magical missing ingredient but I did think Worcestershire sauce would add a nice flavor so I added aprox. 2 T. This was a nice touch and somewhat reminded me of a vegetarian hash/soup. Thank you yumm
11. jen says:

    9 April 2010 at 3:15 pm

    i’ve been looking at a lot of dahl recipes lately, i love that your recipe has other veggies in it. it looks so yummy. perfect for a snowy april evening.