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This family-friendly Italian Lentil Soup recipe is quick and easy to make any night of the week!  It’s made with healthy ingredients and seasoned with classic Italian seasoning. This is the best lentil soup recipe to make when you’re craving a rich and hearty bowl of goodness. 

bowl of lentil soup

This vegetarian lentil soup is hands-down the best lentil soup that I’ve ever had.   The simplicity of this soup requires no garnish, but I personally love to garnish it with croutes, fresh parsley, sautéed mushrooms and a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

pot of legume and vegetable soup

This Italian Lentil Soup is my riff on the soup served at a local Italian restaurant that my family loves. They add mushrooms to their soup while it cooks, but I prefer to sauté them and add them on top as a garnish with homemade cheese croutés. This recipe is a family favorite, and I make it often.  

Best Lentil Soup Recipe

This Italian lentil soup recipe uses dried lentils, fresh organic produce and classic Italian seasoning.

  • Dried Lentils – We use either green or brown lentils for this soup because they tend to hold their shape.
  • Aromatics – We use a delicious combination of celery (with some of the leaves), carrot, onion and garlic  for this soup.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – We saute the aromatics with extra-virgin olive oil.
  • Canned tomatoes – Canned crushed tomatoes adds a rich flavor to the broth for this soup.
  • Vegetables – We add red potatoes to make this soup more satisfying.
  • Seasoning – We use a delicious combination of fresh parsley and dried basil, oregano and dill to season this soup with.
  • Broth – We use chicken broth for this soup, but you can also use vegetable broth if you prefer.
  • Parmesan cheese – We add a 1-inch piece of Parmesan cheese to this soup while it cooks. As the soup simmers, the cheese melts into the broth giving this soup an even richer flavor.

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Lentil Soup

This soup recipe comes together in about 45 minutes start-to-finish.

  1. Saute vegetables. Sauté the onions, celery, carrots and garlic.
  2. Wine. Pour in wine (optional)
  3. Add broth and lentils. Add broth, water, tomatoes, potatoes and lentils.
  4. Season. Add in dried basil, oregano and dill.
  5. Parmesan cheese. Add a 1-inch piece of Parmesan cheese to the soup. 
  6. Simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for approximately 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
  7. Enjoy. Ladle this vegetarian lentil soup into bowls and garnish with sauteed mushrooms, cheese toasties, a drizzle of olive oil, chopped parsley and extra Parmesan cheese.

bowl of soup

If you want to garnish this soup with sauteed mushrooms and croutes, here’s how.

How to Make Croutes

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • French baguette
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Parmesan cheese

Here’s how to make them:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Place sliced pieces of baguette on baking sheet lined with foil.
  3. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the bread is toasted and slightly golden.

How to Saute Mushrooms

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Unsalted butter
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Mushrooms
  • Garlic 

How to make them:

  1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
  2. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the pan. Using a wooden spoon or spatula make sure the mushrooms are in a single layer in the pan so they cook evenly.
  3. Saute over low heat for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned and the mushrooms are tender.

Looking for more recipes for lentil soup to make?

Check out all my easy lentil soup recipes.

Looking for More Healthy Soup Recipes?

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Here’s more easy Lentil Recipes for you to Make

Bowl of Italian lentil soup
Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Italian Lentil Soup

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

This family-friendly Italian Lentil Soup recipe is quick and easy to make any night of the week!  It's made with healthy ingredients and seasoned with classic Italian seasoning. This is the best lentil soup recipe to make when you're craving a rich and hearty bowl of soup. 

Ingredients

  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup white wine or sherry
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes (canned)
  • 1 cup dried green or brown lentils (rinsed and stones and debris discarded)
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion,  chopped
  • 3 large stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 2-3 small red potatoes, cut into small chunks
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • sea salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add the onions, celery and carrots and sauté for approximately 7 minutes until tender and the onions are golden in color.
  2. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
  3. Add the wine and let simmer for just a minute.
  4. Add the chicken broth, water, and tomatoes, potatoes and lentils.
  5. Add the parsley, basil, oregano, dill, and freshly ground black pepper.
  6. Cover the pot and simmer for approximately 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
  7. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and garnish with cheese croutés and sautéed mushrooms.

Notes

How to Make Croutes

Here's what you'll need:

  • 1 French baguette, sliced in 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick pieces
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Here's how to make them:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Place sliced pieces of baguette on baking sheet lined with foil.
  3. Brush the baguette slices with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the bread is toasted and slightly golden.

How to Saute Mushrooms

Here's what you'll need:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced

How to make them:

  1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
  2. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the pan. Using a wooden spoon or spatula make sure the mushrooms are in a single layer in the pan so they cook evenly.
  3. Saute over low heat for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned and the mushrooms are tender.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 1168mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 6gSugar: 7gProtein: 8g

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.

© Deborah
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Soup