Red Lentil Soup

This Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup recipe is made with red lentils, fresh vegetables, canned tomatoes, garlic, butter and Parmesan cheese. It is a super quick and easy recipe to make any night of the week! And it is SO tasty!

I love quick and easy recipes like this one! This red lentil tomato soup is made with simple ingredients and it comes together in about 30 minutes start-to-finish. We usually serve it with a green garden salad and either croutons or warm crusty bread.

Years ago my parents took a trip to Italy, and while they were there, they happened upon a quaint little restaurant that served a deliciously humble soup similar to this lentil soup. When they got back home, my mom tried to recreate the soup they had at that little Italian restaurant, and this is her riff on things. It’s been one of my family’s favorite lentil soup recipes to make, and we’ve made it a lot over the years.

Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup Recipe Ingredients

• Red lentils (red split lentils). Red lentils cook quicker and they are easier to blend than other varieties of lentils. We blend half of the soup for a slightly creamy texture.
• Extra-virgin olive oil. Use a good extra-virgin olive oil to saute the vegetables with. 
• Aromatics – We use a delicious combination of celery (with some of the leaves), carrot, onion and garlic for this soup.
• Canned tomatoes with juice. Canned tomatoes with the juice adds a rich flavor to the broth for this soup.
• Chicken broth. We use chicken broth, but you could use vegetable broth if you prefer.
• Parmesan cheese.  We add a small wedge of Parmesan cheese to many of the soups I make. It melts into the broth, giving the broth an amazing flavor. If I add Parmesan cheese to soup, I usually don’t season the soup with salt – because Parmesan cheese is plenty salty enough. 
• Unsalted butter. Swirling in butter to this soup at the end, makes this soup ultra rich and delicious.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Variations

• If you want to make this soup vegan, just use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, a good vegan butter instead of butter and omit the Parmesan cheese altogether.

How to Make Red Lentil Tomato Soup

This recipe for red lentil soup is so quick and easy to make, you can almost commit it to memory, especially if you make it often like I do.  If the soup is too thick for your liking, just add a little more broth or water to thin it out a bit for desired consistency.

1. Saute Vegetables. Heat oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and saute, stirring frequently until the onions are golden in color. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until garlic softens. 
2. Add Tomatoes. Pour in the tomatoes and juice and cook for another 7-9 minutes or until some of the liquid in the tomatoes evaporates.
3. Add Lentils. Add lentils and broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a very slow and steady simmer. Place lid on pot and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
4. Blend Soup. Remove from heat and using an immersion blender (stick blender) blend 1/2 of the soup.
5. Add Butter. Stir in the butter and grated Parmesan cheese.
6. Enjoy. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese, warm crusty bread or crispy croutons like our easy Homemade Croutons, Parmesan Croutons and Pesto Croutons to add to your bowl.

Storing Leftovers

If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, the leftover soup should last up to 1 week. It’s best to cool and refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking to prevent or minimize the possibility of any spoilage. If you want to freeze leftover soup, divide the soup into meal size portions in air-tight containers or freezer bags, leaving just enough room for the soup to expand. Mark the date on the container or bag, then store in the freezer for up to 6 months. To defrost, remove the soup from the freezer and defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Or you can defrost the soup on the stove top by adding the soup and a little water or broth to pot over medium-low heat.

Looking for Lentil Soup Recipes to Make?

• Sausage Lentil Soup
• Lentil Rice Soup
• Lentil Vegetable Soup
• Mexican Lentil Soup
• French Lentil Soup
• Vegan Lentil Soup
• Italian Lentil Soup
• Vegan Mulligatawny Soup

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Print

Yield: 6 servings

Red Lentil Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

This Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup recipe is made with red lentils, fresh vegetables, canned tomatoes, garlic, butter and Parmesan cheese. It is a super quick and easy recipe to make any night of the week! And it is SO tasty!

 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup celery (with leaves), finely chopped 
• 1/2cup carrot, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1-1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed under cold water
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1/2  cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Heat oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and saute, stirring frequently until the onions are golden in color.
2. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until garlic softens. 
3. Pour in the tomatoes and juice and cook for another 7-9 minutes or until some of the liquid in the tomatoes evaporates.
4. Add lentils and broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a very slow and steady simmer. Place lid on pot and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
5. Remove from heat and using an immersion blender (stick blender) blend 1/2 of the soup. Or add to a blender and blend in batches.
6. Stir in the butter and grated Parmesan cheese.
7. Serve with extra grated Parmesan cheese and croutons (or warm crusty bread).

Notes

• If the soup is too thick for your liking, you can add a little water or more broth to thin it out for desired consistency.
• If you want to make this soup vegan, just use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, a good vegan butter instead of butter and omit the Parmesan cheese altogether.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 320Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 1276mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 7gSugar: 10gProtein: 11g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.