This flavorful roasted garlic lentil soup tastes like it’s been cooking all day, but cooks up in less than an hour.
What happened to spring? Last week I was ready to put all my coats away and pull out my shorts and then the weather went and got super chilly on us. So chilly that snow was actually on the forecast. Luckily we didn’t get any snow, but it was still pretty darn cold. Given the weather I figured I still have time to share one last soup recipe with you all before I bring on all the spring/summer fare.
I didn’t grow up eating lentils, but in my adult life I’ve found that I love them. They’re one of the quickest cooking beans and they’re loaded with protein, fiber, folate and iron. Plus I like their small size and versatility. There are so many different ways to prepare and eat lentils but one of my favorites has to be soup.
There’s actually a vegan lentil soup recipe on the menu at one of my favorite Greek restaurants in town called Stella’s. I typically order a big bowl of it as my meal with a salad on the side or convince Isaac to spilt a bowl with me if I’m ordering an entree. I’ve tried several times to make a lentil soup at home that tastes like Stella’s lentil soup and failed. My version has never had the same flavor… until now. And I think I figured out the key — roasted garlic and red wine vinegar.
By using a whole bulb of roasted garlic you get a lovely, robust garlic flavor and a hint of sweetness that permeates the whole soup. And the red wine vinegar simply brightens up the flavor of the soup. It’s kind of like salt. Whenever you feel like a dish is missing a little something, you tend to add salt, right? Well sometimes salt can do it, but other times you need something acidic like citrus juice or vinegar. In the case of this soup vinegar is the winner!
So if you’re in an area where spring hasn’t sprung just yet add this lentil soup to your weekly menu. I promise you won’t regret it.
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This flavorful lentil soup with roasted garlic tastes like it’s been cooking all day, but actually cooks up in less than an hour.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 bulb roasted garlic (about 8-10 cloves), chopped*
- 1- 16 oz bag dry French green or brown lentils
- 2 large (32 oz) containers of vegetable broth
- 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot, stirring frequently for 8-10 minutes or until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add roasted garlic, lentils broth, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, oregano, bay leaves, salt and pepper to the pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring every so often, for 45 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Ladle soup into bowls and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste or a splash of hot sauce/sriracha if you like a little spice.
Notes
*I highly recommend roasting your garlic in advance to speed up the cooking process.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 257
- Sugar: 3g
- Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 51g
- Fiber: 23g
- Protein: 19g
Love cooking with lentils? Check out some of my other lentil recipes:
Sautéed Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup
Lentil Loaf with a Maple Sweetened Glaze
Health Boosting Cabbage Lentil Soup
Need more lentils in my life! Love that soup bowl too – SOUP SOUP SOUP!
I love this soup bowl too. It’s a classic.
How many servings is this? Am I missing it?
It serves 6. 🙂
This looks absolutely delicious! Lentils are one of my all-time favourite foods so I need to try this (and all the other recipes)!
Does it really have 51g of sugar in one bowl?
Oh goodness no! It has 51 grams of carbs but only 3 grams of sugar.
How many servings does this recipe make?
About 6 servings.
Lentil soup is basically my life during winter! I’ll have to give this version a try ????
We are just getting out of a hot hot summer in Sydney, but once it cools down I will be making ALL the soup.
Hi Erin. You’ll definitely have to give this recipe a try once it cools down in Sydney! 🙂
Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse. Love them, especially a good soup when there is a chill in the air. Thank you for sharing. Great recipe.
I love lentils, so I’m very excited to try this! It looks delicious. I love soup year-round, too. So i’m happy to eat this throughout the spring and summer : )
I totally agree! By eating only one portion of this kind of soup you’ll get almost entire daily recommended intake of folate and fiber (without mentioning all other good stuff you’ll get). And why should anyone stop after one portion?!
LOVE lentils! this soup looks awesome 🙂
Thanks Monica!
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious!!! So simple and such great flavor. Hit the spot on a rainy night. Thanks for sharing.
Ahh.. this makes me so happy! It will taste even better tomorrow (if you have any left over). 🙂
What is a good pairing food to go with this soup