This easy lentil soup recipe is a big bowl of Mediterranean flavor and comfort from my childhood! It’s packed with smoky chilies, tender potatoes, and greens. I love that I can make it in one pot in under an hour!
Lately, I’ve been cooking all the comfort foods I know and love, from Macedonian moussaka to cabbage rolls and this hearty lentil soup recipe with smoky Macedonian peppers. For another traditional recipe with lentils, try this Indian Mulligatawny stew!
This is my family’s famous Mediterranean lentil soup recipe loaded with wholesome ingredients and comforting flavors from back home. It’s a combination of tender lentils, veggies, potatoes, and leafy greens in a rich, smoky broth with dried red chilies, herbs, and spices. I grew up eating this soup at least once a week, on either a Wednesday or Friday, always. My mom made it so often that she even planted lentils in our garden. Let’s just say, we had lentils for DAYS that year.
Fast forward, and while I’m not tending to a garden of lentils, I still make my mom’s soup recipe often. Especially since it needed less than an hour on the stovetop!
Why I Love This Easy Lentil Soup Recipe
- Hearty and easy. This one-pot soup is my go-to whenever I find myself craving something hearty and comforting, that’s still easy to pull together. It needs simple but satisfying ingredients like carrots, potatoes, canned lentils, and Swiss chard.
- Quick. Well, by soup standards! This easy lentil soup is ready in 30-some-odd minutes, most of which is time spent simmering. It’s so hands-free, that even my husband isn’t scared off by the thought of making it. And as a man who only cooks pasta, that’s saying something.
- Bold Mediterranean flavors. I love the bold, sweet, and smoky flavor of red chilies in this soup. Paired with fresh herbs like parsley and garlic and a handful of seasonings, it’s everything I love about Macedonian cooking.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are some notes on the ingredients that need gathering for this lentil soup recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card after the post for the full ingredients list and recipe details.
- Olive Oil – Or another cooking oil. You can also use butter.
- Aromatics – Diced onion, carrots, and celery create the flavor base for the soup.
- Potatoes – I use Yukon Gold potatoes, which are great all-rounders for soup and stew recipes. Other good options are russets, red, or yellow potatoes. Chop the potatoes into bite-sized chunks so they’ll cook faster.
- Fresh Herbs – Chopped parsley, minced garlic cloves, and thyme sprigs.
- Seasonings – Paprika (sweet or smoked), dried oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. You can adapt the amounts and spices in this recipe depending on your tastes. For a spicier soup, add more paprika, cayenne, or chili flakes.
- Broth – I use vegetable stock to keep this soup vegetarian. You can substitute low-sodium chicken or beef broth if needed.
- Lentils – Lentils come in all kinds of colors, see below. If you’re using canned lentils, remember to drain and rinse them beforehand.
- Dried Red Chilies – I like to use sweet, dried Macedonian peppers. They’re a type of banana pepper and the kind my mom always uses in soups. Good alternatives are Thai red chilies, ancho, or guajillo peppers (like the peppers I use in my guajillo steak marinade). Remove the stems and seeds, and slice the chilies into quarters lengthwise.
- Greens – Swiss chard, baby spinach, kale, or collard greens all work well in this recipe. Feel free to mix and match!
What Color Lentils Are Best for Soup?
I almost always use earthy brown lentils or peppery green lentils in this lentil soup recipe. These are my top two choices! Here’s how they compare:
- Green Lentils – Green lentils have a mild but slightly peppery flavor. They soften just enough when cooked, but still hold their shape, making them a great choice for soups and stews.
- Brown Lentils – Brown lentils have a more earthy taste, and they’re also a good choice for soups for the same reasons above.
- Red Lentils – Red lentils break down quickly when cooked, so they tend to be a little mushy in soup recipes. That being said, if you have red lentils, the flavor is still nice, and they’ll work in a pinch.
How to Make the Best Lentil Soup
This vegetarian lentil soup comes together fairly quickly in one pot on the stovetop. It’s perfect for cozy weekend afternoons and the whole house smells amazing while it cooks! Just thinking about it takes me right back to my childhood. Let’s get started.
- Sauté the veggies. First, sauté the diced carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes in a large pot with olive oil until tender. Stir often so the veggies brown evenly on all sides.
- Add seasonings. Next, stir in your fresh herbs and garlic, followed by the dry seasonings, salt, and pepper. Cook for a minute, until fragrant.
- Add the remaining soup ingredients. Now, add the broth and drop in a bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Bring the pot to a boil, and stir in the lentils and dried chilies.
- Cook. Lower the heat to a simmer and let the soup cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes until the lentils and potatoes are cooked through and tender.
- Add greens. Lastly, stir in your leafy greens. Cook for another few minutes to wilt the leaves. Afterward, pluck out the thyme and bay leaf, and serve.
Tips and Variations
- Where to look for dried chilies: I usually find dried chilies in the produce section, the international food aisle, or the spice aisle in most grocery stores. Don’t worry if you can’t find Macedonian peppers. While they have the best flavor (rich, sweet, and smoky, a bit like cayenne), just about any dried red chili will work.
- If you can’t find dried red chilies, I recommend substituting 1 teaspoon of paprika + ½ teaspoon chili powder to amp up the spicy broth.
- Substitute the lentils. If lentils aren’t your thing, you can swap them out for chickpeas, beans, or another legume. It won’t be lentil soup, but it’ll still taste great.
- Adjust the seasonings at the end of cooking. I recommend seasoning soups to taste only after they’ve simmered for a while. This way, the flavors have a chance to come together first. It’s fine to taste as you go but save any major adjustments until the end of cooking.
- Different veggies. You can skip the potatoes or substitute sweet potatoes, cauliflower, red bell peppers, and other veggies.
- Add protein. If you like your soup with meat, see my lentil and chorizo soup for another easy variation. Otherwise, if you have any pre-cooked shredded chicken (a rotisserie chicken or baked chicken breasts work well), pulled pork, or beef tips in the fridge, stir these in at the end for a meaty version.
Serving Suggestions
My mom always served us lentil soup with crusty skillet bread for dunking. It’s just as great with grissini, homemade gevrek (sesame bagels), or fluffy Mediterranean rice and a salad. Or, slurp it up just as it is! This cozy lentil soup has plenty of textures and flavors, so you hardly need anything extra (except maybe a glass of Pinot Grigio). It also leaves room for a slice of marble cake for dessert!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Keep leftovers covered airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. I love making a giant pot of lentil soup on the weekend to enjoy leftovers all week!
- Reheat. This soup reheats easily on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave.
- Freeze. Store the soup in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. If you make this soup intending to freeze it right away, cook the veggies just until they’re tender-crisp, not all the way through. This way, they’ll cook to the perfect texture when the soup’s thawed and reheated.
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- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 3 to 4 cups bite-sized chopped potatoes, I used small yukon gold potatoes
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sweet or smoky paprika, adjust spice to your own preference
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 3 dried red chili peppers, hot or sweet, tops removed, cut in fourths lengthwise (if you can’t find any, use about 1 teaspoon more paprika + 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste)
- 3 cups chopped leafy greens, I used swiss chard, but you can use baby spinach, or kale, or collard greens, and so on
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Sauté. Heat olive oil in a large pot, or Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add diced onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes to the hot oil; sauté for 6 minutes, or until veggies are slightly tender and browned. Stir often.
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Add herbs and spices. Stir in parsley and garlic; continue to cook for 1 more minute. Season with paprika, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper; stir and cook for 1 more minute.
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Add the remaining ingredients. Add vegetable broth, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf; turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir in the lentils and the dry chili peppers, if using. Bring the pot back to a boil.
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Cook. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, uncovered, until lentils and potatoes are tender.
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Stir in the greens. Stir in leafy greens and continue to cook for 2 to 4 more minutes or until wilted.
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Finish and serve. Remove the lentil soup from the heat; taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs; serve.
- Storage: Store Lentil Soup in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Store completely cooled Lentil Soup in an airtight container OR freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- If you intend to cook the soup just to freeze it right away, I suggest cooking the veggies just until tender and a bit crisp. They will have the perfect texture once reheated.
- Reheat frozen soup in a pot over medium heat.
Serving: 2cups | Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 535mg | Potassium: 1452mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 9580IU | Vitamin C: 43.2mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 9.5mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
