Homemade Lentil Soup
Posted in: Dinner Ideas, Food Photos, Lunch Ideas, Soup/Stew Ideas | 23 Comments
Not feeling well today and inspired by a new (fabulous I might add) cookbook I received as a gift I made this simply perfect soup.
I received as a gift I made this simply perfect soup. I should say that this is my first attempt at using lentils in a recipe. My mom is a HUGE lentil soup fan and, although, as a child I hated the stuff I’m in LOVE now! The soup was super simple, super good, and SUPER healthy for you! Plus lentils are so cheap and easy to store. You really can’t beat them
Now if I can only get the toddler and the husband to as least TRY IT, I’d be golden. Why is it people immediately think lentils are “yucky”?
Anyway, I did want to mention a strategy I used in this recipe. I’ve learned from experimenting that most recipe calling for bacon can easily be lightened up by using a bit of real bacon bits instead. One tablespoon provides a hint of the bacon flavor without all that added fat. This is how I get my bacon fix in omelets. It works like a charm!
- Small sweet onion chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic mined
- About 1 cup fresh carrots sliced
- 2 tbsp (14g) real bacon bits
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup (128g) dry lentils rinsed
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or a mixture of both)
- Non-stick cooking spray
Spray a medium pot with non-stick cooking spray and warm over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic cooking for a few minutes until tender.
Stir in the carrots and bacon bits.
Continue to cook, adding the tomato paste. Stir and coat all the veggies with the paste.
Add and stir in the lentil, thyme and broth.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally then reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer for about an hour.
Serve! Recipe makes 5 bowls as pictured (2 ladlefuls).
| Servings | Amount per serving | Calories | Fat | Fiber | WWPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | small bowl – about 2 ladlefuls | 150 | 2g | 10g | 2 |
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Looks delicious! I’m going to try it with leftover Christmas ham.
OMG.. That recipe looks great! I saved my ham bone from christmas too and now I know what I am going to do with it now!! Thanks Roni!!
Oh by the way, I LOVE your video’s by the way! Its so great to really see you and hear your voice after all this time! You are such an inspiration and I am sure you get tired of hearing that but its true!! We love you Roni!! Thanks again for the recipe and giving me the motivation I needed!!
Hugs from Louisiana!!
Oh that looks so good and I could really go for soup today with all the wind and rain! Thanks for the recipe!
I wish I had carrots in the house today, I LOVE lentils yet never seem to know how to make them. I wonder if I could make this recipe with butternut squash (my new obsession)?
Ditto Collette on the inspiration. Words cannot express how much you have helped, inspired and motivated me.
Happy New Year from CA!
I love lentil soup too. They are super high in fiber too to fill you up!
Made this for dinner tonight because I needed to get back on track after all the Christmas goodies! It was so easy, delicious, and filling. I added celery. My husband and kids really liked it too. Thanks!
I also have wanted to try some lentils, but not sure as to what to do with them. All the recipes I look at have so much fat that it would defeat the purpose of eating the lentils. I am trying to think of a few more 0 pt veggies I could put into it to bulk it up a little. Any suggestions?
This soup was a HUGE hit! My kids went back for seconds and we were all sad to see it gone so quickly. Next time I’ll definitely double the recipe. Thanks!
I LOVE IT…lol…it is simmering on the stove right now. Been tasting it from the beginning. First time us eating lentils..even my picky brother likes it.
I was on WW for a year..came off it…gained all the weight back…now starting back…and determined to lose all and more..
Well its done…ate 2 bowls..it was soooo good..THANKS AGAIN for posting such GREAT RECIPES!!!
I am so glad you guys are liking this!! I’m thinking about making another batch this weekend. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Rebecca – I was thinking the same thing! Next time I’m considering adding some zucchini, maybe some green beans or peas. Oh! and celery would be good too!
I made this on New Year’s Day and it was AWESOME!!!! I let mine cook too long so it wasn’t as soupy as I wanted, but it was still good! I think next time I will add celery and zucchini to it to add some bulk and color. I have never tried lentils until I made this. YUM-O! Even the husband liked it. Now…my toddler….he wouldn’t go near it. ;)
Lentils are my go to meals for busy nights. You can get some many different types and each has it’s own flavor. Try some mung beans with spinach (using the onion/tomato base you have above) – it’s wonderful – a pinch of cumin or corriander powder really makes a big difference in the stew/soup. You may also want to consider investing in a pressure cooker – it cuts down the time needed to cook lentils and any veggies like potatoes and carrots…plus it’s all fat free cooking! As always thanks for posting such great meal ideas!
Roni-
I finally got around to making this. What was I waiting for? This stuff is great. It is very bacony(is that a word?) and filling. I added a little zucchini I had left over and a stock of celery. I always have soup in the freezer in little bowls for lunch or a snack. This soup will definetely go into my list of regulars. Thanks.
Made this yesterday….it was very good! And filling! Although I couldn’t help but have 2 bowls…oh well! I think next time I will add celery and maybe a can of stewed tom’s. It really reminded me of chili….and I liked the flavor the bacon bits added, it was very mild, but tasty! Thanks roni!
im 15 and i made this one day because it sounded so good! it turned out perfect too. haha i gave my mom a break from cooking for a day.
I want to try it…looks, and sounds sooo good! Wuold you please let me know how many ww points there are per serving?
Thanks a bunch!
laura
I added it! It’s officially 2.4.
[...] Grain, Ground Turkey, Lentil, Squash, Stew/Soup — dancingqueen13 @ 6:25 am Inspired by Roni’s Homemade Lentil Soup I came up with the following.. Total cooking time 1 hour Ingredients/tools: 1 pound lean ground [...]
I LOVE lentil soup, and the ones at the store are SO high in sodium.
You don’t have to soak the lentils? Would you say a serving is a cup? I love having low point soups around, and eat them all year round.
I’m going to get the stuff today to make this rather than another soup I was going to make.
Yup! It’s about 1 cup. My ladle is about 1/2 cup. Hope you like it! :)
Made this last night and it is SO good! I did add 2 stalks of celery, and a can of diced tomatoes. Doubled the recipe, cooked longer because it took a while for the veggies to get tender, so it has a nice thick consistency.
Never will I buy canned lentil soup again.
Thank you!!!
Made this AGAIN. Ihave been waiting for cold weather to make it…Still GREAT.
Even my really picky brother will eat this..