Lentil Soup Recipe: One-Pot Pantry Soup in About 45 Minutes

The short answer: this lentil soup recipe simmers 1 1/2 cups of brown or green lentils with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomatoes and 6 cups of broth until tender, about 25 to 35 minutes. It serves 6 in about 45 minutes total, with no soaking.

• Key numbers: 1 1/2 cups dry lentils · 6 cups broth · 1 can diced tomatoes · 1 teaspoon cumin · lemon to finish
• Leftovers: refrigerate within 2 hours in shallow containers, eat within 3 to 4 days, reheat to 165°F
• Next step: get the free recipe book starter pages (we email it to you), or keep your version in the Family Recipe Binder ($6.99)

Prep time: 25 minCook time: 48 minTotal time: 1 hr 13 minServings: 6 servings

This page is one pot of classic vegetable lentil soup. For dal, lentil tacos, salads and dozens of other ways to use a bag of lentils, see the lentil recipes roundup.

Lentil soup ingredients

Serves 6.

The liquid ratio here is looser than plain cooked lentils on purpose. Harvard's Nutrition Source uses about 3 cups of liquid for every 1 cup of dry lentils when cooking them on their own; soup needs more, because the broth is the point.

How to make lentil soup

1. Pour the lentils onto a plate or into a strainer and pick out any small stones or shriveled pieces. Rinse them well under cold water and let them drain.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring now and then, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
3. Stir in the garlic, cumin, paprika and thyme. Cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown.
4. Add the lentils, diced tomatoes with their juices, broth and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the soup keeps a steady simmer. Partly cover the pot.
5. Simmer 25 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender all the way through but not falling apart. Add a cup of water if the soup gets thicker than you want.
6. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the spinach or kale and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until wilted.
7. Turn off the heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar, then taste and add salt, pepper and more acid until the flavor is bright. Serve hot.

For a creamier texture without cream, scoop out 2 cups of soup, blend it until smooth, and stir it back into the pot. An immersion blender pulsed a few times in the pot does the same job.

Which lentils to use

Lentil type changes both the cooking time and the texture. Harvard lists about 20 to 30 minutes for whole lentils and 10 to 15 minutes for split lentils, and the tomatoes in this soup can push that toward the long end.

Mixing types in one pot gives uneven results, because red lentils turn to mush before green ones soften. Choose one, or add red lentils for the last 15 minutes only.

Variations and swaps

• Lemony lentil soup: skip the tomatoes, use 7 cups of broth, and finish with 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and plenty of black pepper.
• Curried red lentil soup: use red lentils, swap the cumin and thyme for 1 tablespoon of curry powder and 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, and replace 1 cup of broth with a can of coconut milk at the end.
• Lentil and sausage soup: brown 8 ounces of sliced cooked or raw sausage in the pot before the vegetables. Cook raw sausage through before adding the rest, and drain extra fat.
• Smoky lentil soup: add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and a chopped chipotle in adobo with the spices.
• Lentil vegetable soup: add 1 diced potato or 2 cups of chopped zucchini or green beans with the broth. Stretch the pot with 1 more cup of water.
• No celery: use an extra carrot or a diced bell pepper. The soup still works.
• Homemade broth: simmer your onion ends, carrot peels and celery tops into vegetable stock and use it for the 6 cups here.

If you want a thick, smoky bowl built around dried split peas and ham instead, that is a different soup, covered on the split pea soup page. Lentil soup stays lighter and usually vegetarian.

Troubleshooting

Lentils still firm after 35 minutes. Old lentils take longer, and tomato acidity slows softening. Keep the pot at a steady simmer rather than barely bubbling, add water as needed, and check every 5 minutes.

Lentils turned to mush. They were red or split lentils, or the soup boiled hard for too long. Call it a creamy soup, thin it with broth, and next time use brown or green lentils and a gentler simmer.

Soup tastes flat. It nearly always needs more salt and more acid. Season after the lentils are tender, since broths vary widely in salt. A splash of vinegar or lemon at the end makes the biggest difference.

Soup got too thick overnight. Lentils keep absorbing liquid in the fridge. Thin each portion with water or broth as you reheat it, then taste for salt again.

Grit in the bowl. The lentils were not sorted. Harvard's guidance is to sort them for small stones or debris, then rinse well. It takes about a minute on a light-colored plate.

Make ahead, storage and freezing

Lentil soup tastes better on day two, which makes it a strong Sunday batch. Let the pot stop steaming, then divide it into shallow containers so it cools fast. The FDA's safe food handling guidance says to refrigerate cooked perishables within 2 hours (within 1 hour above 90°F), divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quicker cooling, and reheat leftovers to 165°F.

• Refrigerator: eat within 3 to 4 days.
• Freezer: freeze in 1- or 2-cup portions, leaving room at the top for expansion. Leave out the spinach if you plan to freeze; stir in fresh greens when you reheat.
• Reheat: warm on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring, until the center of the bowl reads 165°F on a food thermometer. Add water as it thickens.

A deep pot of soup left on the stove to cool overnight stays warm too long in the middle. Split it up before it goes in the refrigerator.

What to serve with lentil soup

• Crusty bread, garlic toast or warm pita for dipping.
• A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette.
• Cooked rice or farro spooned into the bowl to make it heartier.
• Grated parmesan or a spoonful of plain yogurt on top.
• Rotate it with other weeknight bowls from the soup recipes hub, such as minestrone soup.

Why lentil soup is a budget anchor

Lentil soup is built almost entirely from shelf-stable and long-keeping ingredients: dry lentils, canned tomatoes, broth, onions, carrots and spices. One pot feeds 6, and leftovers become the next two lunches. Dry lentils also skip the overnight soak that dried beans need, so the soup works on a weeknight with no planning beyond having a bag in the pantry.

To make it pay off in a real grocery budget, put it on the plan on purpose. Buy lentils, onions and carrots in quantities you will use across the week, and plan a second meal that uses the rest of the celery and carrots. The meal planning on a budget guide walks through shopping your pantry first and cooking once to eat twice. For more meals in the same spirit, browse cheap meal ideas.

Plan the soup night

One pot covers dinner for 6, or dinner for 3 plus lunches. Write the leftover lunches on the plan so they get eaten inside the 3- to 4-day window.

• Meal Planner & Grocery List, $3.99. A weekly menu and an aisle-sorted grocery list, so lentils, broth and vegetables land on one trip.
• Family Recipe Binder, $6.99. Note which lentil you used and how much lemon your family likes.

Browse more kitchen printables in the printables shop.

Want the starter pages by email? Get the free recipe book pages (we email them to you).

For a creamy tomato-based main alongside rice, try butter chicken and portion the leftovers for another dinner.