Mexican Lentil Soup

Mexican Lentil Soup recipe (in Spanish its called Sopa de Lentejas) is a richly flavored vegetarian soup that’s quick and easy to make. 

This vegetarian lentil soup recipe is made with green lentils, Ortega chilis, onion, garlic, vegetables and it’s perfectly seasoned with cumin and oregano. I love to garnish this Sopa de Lentejas with a few nachos, avocado and fresh cilantro. If you have any leftovers, this soup tastes even better the next day!

This Mexican Lentil Soup recipe is similar to my popular Italian Lentil Soup recipe, only we swap out the Italian seasoning and replace it with classic Mexican flavors. And instead of garnishing this vegetarian soup with cheesy croutes like we did with the Italian lentil soup, we garnish it with nachos.  It’s so good! 

Mexican Lentil Soup Recipe 

• 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, green onion, garlic and cilantro for this soup.
• Extra-virgin olive oil – We saute the aromatics with extra-virgin olive oil.
• Canned chiles – we add canned chopped Ortega green chiles to this soup for an amazing flavor.
• Fresh cilantro
• Seasoning – This soup is perfectly seasoned with dried oregano, ground cumin and bay leaves
• Canned crushed tomatoes with juice – Canned tomatoes with the juice adds a rich flavor to the broth for this soup.
• Broth – I use chicken broth for this soup, but you could use vegetable broth if you prefer.
• Garnish – I like to garnish this soup with avocado slices, fresh cilantro and a few cheese nachos.

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

Variations

This Sopa de Lentejas is a versatile soup, so you can add other ingredients that you may have on hand. Personally, I love a good soup crowded with lots of vegetables!

• Vegetables – add chopped red potatoes, spinach, zucchini or yellow squash if you want a chunkier and more filling soup.
• Seasoning – Sprinkle in 1-1/2 – 2 tablespoons taco seasoning instead of cumin and oregano

How to Make Mexican Lentil Soup

1. Aromatics. Heat oil in a large pot. Add the onions, celery and carrots and sauté for approximately 7-10 minutes until tender and the onions are golden in color. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
2. Seasoning. Stir in the chopped Ortega chilis, cilantro, oregano and cumin.
3. Broth, tomatoes and lentils. Pour in the  broth, water, crushed tomatoes and lentils.
4. Simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for approximately 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
5. Enjoy. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with nachos, plain tortilla chips, avocado, cilantro, cilantro pesto, cojita cheese, etc.

Do Lentils Need to Be Soaked

Nope!  They don’t need to be soaked. Just rinse them and pick through to remove any debris or little stones you may find.  Then add them right to the pot to cook with the other of the ingredients.

What to Serve with Mexican Lentil Soup

This Sopa de Lentejas is substantially filling on its own, but you could easily serve it with a light salad, quesadilla or a tostada.

• Mexican Salad Recipe
• Everyday Tossed Salad
• Healthy Chicken Tostada
• Baked Chicken Fajita Quesadilla

Benefits of Eating Lentils

In a nutshell, lentils have a lot of nutritional value to offer.  They’re high in protein, low in fat, and they’re a good source of iron, fiber, folic acid and magnesium.  Lentils are also rich with polyphenols, which are compounds found in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, dark chocolate, wine and tea, and they act like antioxidants neutralizing free radicals and help to reduce inflammation which is linked to chronic disease. And compared to other legumes, lentils come in second to soybeans in protein. When you consume lentils with whole grains, such as brown rice, lentils can provide the same quality of protein as meat. Just 1/2 cup of cooked lentils provides about 12 grams of protein.  (1) (2)

• Low-fat
• Nutrient dense
• High in fiber
• Good source of iron
• High in protein
• Good source of folic acid
• High in magnesium

Looking for Lentil Soup Recipes to Make?

• French Lentil Soup
• Vegan Lentil Soup
• Italian Lentil Soup
• Red Lentil Soup
• Vegan Mulligatawny Soup

More Mexican Soup Recipes

• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Vegan Tortilla Soup
• Taco Soup
• Caldo de Pollo
• Mexican Chicken Posole
• Black Bean Soup

Still want more ideas? Check out all my healthy soup recipes.

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Print

Yield: 6-8 servings

Mexican Lentil Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Mexican Lentil Soup (Sopa de Lentejas) is a vegetarian soup that's quick and easy to make. This Mexican lentil soup recipe to make with green lentils, Ortega chilis, onion, garlic, vegetables and it's perfectly seasoned with cumin and oregano. I love to garnish this Sopa de Lentejas with a few nachos, avocado and fresh cilantro. 

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion,  chopped
• 3 green onions (scallions), sliced whites and light green parts
• 3 large stalks celery, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and finely minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1 4.5-ounce can chopped Ortega green chiles, drained
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup dried green or brown lentils (rinsed and stones and debris discarded)
• 6 cups chicken broth (you can also use vegetable broth if you prefer)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes (canned)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add the onions, celery and carrots and sauté for approximately 7-10 minutes until tender and the onions are golden in color.
2. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in the chopped Ortega chilis, cilantro, oregano and cumin.
4. Pour in the  broth, water, crushed tomatoes and lentils.
5. Add the bay leaves.
6. Cover the pot and simmer for approximately 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
7. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with nachos, plain tortilla chips, avocado, cilantro, cilantro pesto, cojita cheese, etc.

Notes

Variations

This Sopa de Lentejas is a versatile soup, so you can add other ingredients that you may have on hand. Personally, I love a good soup crowded with lots of vegetables!

• Red potatoes (I really like to add red potatoes to this soup)
• Stir in 1 - 1-1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning instead of cumin and oregano.
• Zucchini and yellow squash
• Red and/or green bell peppers
• Spinach

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 184Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 1084mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 5gSugar: 6gProtein: 7g

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.