A soup with simple flavors, stacked with protein and iron, and amazing taste. This Greek lentil soup brings me the comfort of home every time.
A few weeks back I casually posted a picture of the lentil soup my mom brings over for us from time to time. I got an overwhelming request for the recipe so I decided it’s about time I post another recipe from Yiayia, the Greek cooking machine.
Her last recipe I posted was the amazing Whipped Hummus she makes and I have gotten loads of positive feedback from that! I also have another soup of hers that readers have requested, so look for that in the coming weeks too.
This Greek lentil soup is really simple, but oh so good! I grew up eating it, and although I didn’t appreciate it much as a kid, my kids literally DEVOUR it every time she makes it.
And I’m talking, 4 bowls full I can barely get any, type of devour. I don’t have any issue with this whatsoever since it is stocked full of protein, iron, veggies and so much goodness.
I mean, it could be worse than your kids demanding Greek lentil soup right? By the way, take note of the adorable red flower in some of these pictures, my oldest picked it for me while at the park with Yiayia the day I was photographing this soup. I just had to add it in 😉
I truly think the simpleness of it is really what makes this a great lentil soup. There aren’t too many flavors battling so the flavor of the lentils and veggies it has can really come out. It’s a traditional nothing fancy kind of soup that hits the spot when you’re looking for that cozy meal. It reminds me of home and childhood, so always brings me comfort.
Tips For Making This Greek Lentil Soup
- Make sure to have lots of fresh crusty bread on hand for dunking
- I saute the veggies in vegetable broth but you can also use your favorite oil
- The salt, pepper and oregano are to taste, so start with a little bit and continue to try the soup until you achieve the flavor you want.
- I use French green lentils in this because I like the less cooked consistency of lentils, but you can use any color. Green are the most “al dente”, brown are a little softer and red are the most soft. I wouldn’t suggest red as they may get too mushy. But make sure to check your lentils while pre-cooking to make sure they are cooked enough as they vary in cooking time depending on color used.
- Traditionally this soup is also topped off with the white vinegar and lemon juice, but I prefer to add a touch of hot sauce like my dad!
- Tips to prep ahead: Wash and chop the veggies. Rinse and partially cook the lentils.
- Baby/toddler food idea: Blend soup with an immersion blender or put into blender for baby food. If your baby is still sensitive to acidic food like tomatoes, do not add tomato sauce. You can serve to toddler as is or strain out broth for a less messy meal. You can also pulse to make it a thicker porridge like meal.
- 1 cup lentils see note
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 2 large carrots
- 2 sticks of celery
- 4 cups veggie broth , low sodium if needed
- extra broth or oil to sauté
- 2 - 4 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 bay leaves
- sea salt , to taste
- ground black pepper , to taste
- dried oregano , to taste
- vinegar
- lemon juice
- hot sauce (not traditional but I love it)
- Rinse the lentils and add them to a pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for about three minutes or until half done. Strain and set aside.
- Peel and chop the onion, carrots and celery and slice the garlic cloves.
In the pot, sauté the onion, carrot and celery with veggie broth or oil until semi soft. Add the garlic and sauté for about one minute.
Add lentils and tomato sauce and stir for one minute. Start with 2 tablespoons tomato sauce and add more according to preferred flavor.
Add the 4 cups of veggie broth, and bay leaves. Then and oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a boil and simmer over very low heat until lentils and vegetables are cooked, about 15 minutes. Check periodically to see if more broth is needed. Enjoy!
- I sauté with veggie broth but you can also use your favorite oil.
- The salt, pepper and oregano are to taste, so start with a little bit and continue to try the soup until you achieve the flavor you want.
- I use French green lentils in this because I like the less cooked consistency of lentils, but you can use any color. Green are the most "al dente", brown are a little softer and red are the most soft. I wouldn't suggest red as they may get too mushy. But make sure to check your lentils while pre-cooking to make sure they are cooked enough as they vary in cooking time depending on color used.
- Traditionally this soup is also topped off with the white vinegar and lemon juice, but I prefer to add a touch of hot sauce like my dad!
- Tips to prep ahead: Wash and chop the veggies. Rinse and partially cook the lentils.
- Baby/toddler food idea: Blend soup with an immersion blender or put into blender for baby food. If your baby is still sensitive to acidic food like tomatoes, do not add tomato sauce. You can serve to toddler as is or strain out broth for a less messy meal. You can also pulse to make it a thicker porridge like meal.
Melissa says
This was excellent! Even my Greek husband thought so 😉
Not exactly like his Mom’s (of course) but he ate two bowls of it – as did my toddler son!
We’ll make this again – thanks so much!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Melissa!! I am so happy to hear! We love this soup so much. And of course, we all love our own Greek mom’s food. HAHA!
Carol says
This is THE best lentil soup ever!! — hands down!
Love the simplicity of the recipe.
Flavor is perfection. Texture too!
My husband and a neighbor LOVED it…me too.
Will make again + again.
Thank you!!!
veggiesdontbite says
Awe Carol! Yay! I am thrilled that you guys loved it! My mom is actually here right now and read your review. It is her recipe that has been passed down to me, she is very happy she can pass it on to others! Thank you so so much for leaving a review!
Donna says
This is the best lentil soup I’ve ever tasted. The lemon juice and vinegar at the end really lifts it. I will definitely be making this again. Big thanks to you and your Mum for this yummy recipe.
veggiesdontbite says
Wow thank you so much Donna!!! It really is one of my favorite soups. I’m so happy you enjoyed it as much as we do!
Vicky K (Beauty and the food beast) says
I guess you are from Greece!!!!!!!
Love lentil soup…we don’t usually use carrots and celery….but i guess it will be yummy!!
But…why not using oil???without oil they won’t taste nice…they will be like steamed or nerovrasta (water boiled) as we say in Greece!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Vicky! Yes, I am Greek! My parents were born and raised there and I am first generation here in the US. My mom always used carrots and celery in her fakes, so this recipe is based on her original. It is very good! As for the oil, I tend not to use much oil in my cooking for health reasons. I use mostly whole food fats like nuts, avocado and others, but only use a touch of oil when I feel it is necessary for taste purposes. In this soup I don’t feel it is needed. You can saute the vegetables in broth, not water, and get a wonderful taste without the added oil fats. But you can also use oil to saute if you wish! Thank you for being here! Efxaristo!
Adrienne says
Hi! Does this lentil soup recipe freeze well? I’m making my mom freezer soups for Christmas and think this would be a hit – but I’ve never frozen lentil soup! Thanks!
Jah Wayne says
Thank you! Yet Iam more than you realize!
veggiesdontbite says
You’re welcome!
Donna says
Sophie,
This soup turned out exactly as you said it would! Its really good! A perfect light supper! I went to a local bakery and purchased a Sunflower Flax Sourdough loaf, which went great with my soup!
I’ve put it into my “make again” file!
Donna
veggiesdontbite says
Ah!! SO awesome Donna! I am so so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for telling me. That bread sounds amazing!
Katie Parks Transth says
Delish! I didn’t have tomato sauce and instead added a small can of V-8. I think it worked! So putting this in my staples for weekly lunches! Yum!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Katie!! Oh yay!! Love your hack, V8 would totally work. It’s essentially tomato juice. Thanks so much for trying it! It’s so good for and and the boys love this one too!
Alethea says
Made this last night! It was delicious! It will for sure be part of our regular menu rotation. We used the precooked lentils from Trader Joe’s to cut cooking time and it worked great!
veggiesdontbite says
Oh yay!!! So glad you tried it and that it worked out. Glad those precooked lentils work! Great tip to save time!
Val @ Life of a Vegaholic says
This soup looks super yum Sophia! This soup makes me want to have soup right now! Haha!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Val! It’s a really good soup and we often have it year round! Super simple to make too! I crave it a lot. I love it with hot sauce on the top and dipping fresh bread it in. Mmmmmmm!
Ara says
I cooked this recipe today, and it was very delicious, the only thing was that the cooking time you suggest is not even close to what it’s needed, it took much longer (I used uncooked or raw lentil) even for the precooking I let it stay longer but when I had to add them again they where really undercooked that my veggies overcooked.
but still all the flavors were there, really delicious my husband love it 🙂
this is something I will definitely will cook again.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Ara!! So glad you liked it! What kind of lentils did you use and how long did you precook for? There are some lentils that do take longer so that’s why in my directions I say “until half cooked” so definitely check them along the way. I haven’t had anyone have an issue yet but even my mom has found lentils that cook longer! Thanks for letting me know how it went! I will add your tips to the recipe!
Ara says
Hi Sophie and thanks for your reply, I am not very familiar with lentils but they are the whole kind (not the split) and the only thing it said on the pkg is “new harvest”, and maybe this is the kind you mentioned the one that needs longer cooking, so next time I will make sure is really half way cooked.
but as I said before I will definitely will do this one again my husband and I we really like the soup.
thanks for sharing 🙂 <3
veggiesdontbite says
By kind I mean, what color? I added it to my recipe, the green take the longest to cook and are the most firm, the brown and red less time and softer, but the red tend to get mushy. I wouldn’t recommend red for the soup. It sounds like you may have used green. If you check them as you pre-cook and make sure they have cooked about half way then you should be fine! Thanks again for being here!
Amber says
THis recipe looks really great, but I have a question. I don’t cook with lentils very often, so the first step confused me based upon my expectation: “Rinse the lentils and add them to a pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for about three minutes or until half done. Strain and set aside.”
What type of lentils are you using…pre-cooked or raw? I thought raw took much longer to cook than 3-6 minutes, or am I wrong?
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks so much Amber! I’m using uncooked lentils. You cook them a little bit so they are partially cooked before cooking them in the soup. That way you don’t over cook your veggies while waiting for the lentils to cook all the way! Make sense? Feel free to ask any more questions!
Amber says
That makes sense – thank you!!! Looking forward to trying the recipe 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Can’t wait to hear how you like it! Tag me and let me know!
Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit says
This looks like one of those simple soups that any one and every one will love, especially with a hearty slice of homemade bread…perfection! And the little familial backstory is always sweet to hear 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much Natalie! Yes, that’s exactly the kind of soup it is. Super simple but so good. Now all I need is a bread maker and I’m set! LOL
The Vegan 8 says
Beautiful! Lentil soup is one of my alltime favorite soups! Your mom’s version I love, so simple and delicious and there really is nothing more comforting than a bowl of soup in my opinion. I seriously could eat soup everyday of my life, whether hot or cold weather outside. I’ll have to try your Mom’s version sometime since it is a bit different than mine since it has carrots and celery! Mine is more of a smoky lentil soup and I use sweet potatoes and some smoky spices so it really is a warm, smoky type of soup…great for winter. But I’m totally digging your mom’s version as well and there is always room in my belly for more lentil soup, LOL, and bet it’s delicious with the celery…mmmmm.
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks Brandi!! It’s really traditional and simple but sometimes that’s exactly what you need ☺️ I love dipping bread in it too. Yours sounds delish as well!! Will have to try it!
Mandy says
I love lentil soup – it’s one of my favorites! What a great ingredient list – simple, but so many wonderful flavors! That red flower is beautiful 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Mandy! Yes, super simple but so good. I loved that little flower. Such a sweet gesture. And the color went great in the pics!
Michael says
Hi
Love Fakes but I notice yours doesn’t have the vinegar in it, traditional always has vinegar. You must try it with the vinigar. It’s divine,
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks Micheal! Yes, my mom adds some vinegar or lemon juice and the end. I don’t like it but instead at hot sauce like my dad does. We are weird. Lol! I’ll add that as an option, she has it in her recipe but I didn’t write it in!
Jenn says
I just love lentil soup! It’s so easy, filling, flavorful and my kids love it too. I can’t wait to try this version!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Jen! My boys literally shovel this in. It’s really simple so good for kids, but so flavorful!
Nichole Kraft, Food Writing Copyeditor says
I never liked lentils much as a kid, either, but I love them now! This soup looks so hearty and easy to prepare. I love the addition of oregano (I’m an oregano addict). I’m headed over to the Whipped Hummus recipe now. Sounds delicious!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much Nichole! I was so the same, lentils?! Bleh! But now I literally use them ALL the time! You would love the soup. SO simple and easy but super flavorful. Thank you for being here!
Mel @ The Refreshanista says
wow this soup looks good! i bet it would be so yummy with a slice of homemade bread 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Mel! YES! It would be amazing with a slice of homemade bread. Or 5!!! LOL. We dip bread in it all the time. My son likes to let his bread soak a bit, then eats it with his spoon.
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says
Lentil soup is hands down my favorite kind of soup – I make it almost every week! Your mom’s lentil soup sounds SO delicious!! My mouth is watering just looking at it! I want a big bowl of it for lunch right now 😉 😀
veggiesdontbite says
That’s awesome!! You would love this then! It’s super simple an traditional but SO SO good! Secret family recipe not so secret anymore. LOL