Lentil Soup
Hearty soup made from brown lentils with root vegetables and a splash of vinegar at the end.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cook/bake time
- 45 min
- Total
- 1 hr 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 327 kcal
- Servings
- 6
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cooking & baking
- 45 min
Hearty soup made from brown lentils with root vegetables and a splash of vinegar at the end. The vinegar is not a matter of taste here, but structural: it cuts through the earthy heaviness of the lentils and rounds out the soup. Inexpensive, high-protein, and a pantry classic.
Why this works
The vinegar belongs at the end, and for two reasons. First, acetic acid is volatile and cooks off in minutes. Second, an acidic environment keeps the pectin in the lentil's cell wall stable. Acid at the beginning significantly prolongs the cooking time and can even leave the lentils hard. Added at the end, it does exactly what it is there for: acid elevates the perception of the other aromas and cuts through the earthy heaviness.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Sort the lentils
Pour the lentils onto a plate and look through them briefly, as small stones can occasionally be found in them. Then rinse them in cold water. You do not need to soak brown lentils, they cook soft in about thirty minutes and retain their shape better than soaked ones.
- 2
Sweat the vegetables
Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onions, carrots, celery, and parsley root for ten minutes over medium heat until everything is soft and the onions turn golden yellow. Add the garlic in the last minute so it does not burn.
- 3
Season and roast
Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, and smoked paprika and roast everything for two minutes. The smoked paprika takes on the role that bacon used to have here and gives the soup a smoky depth without the need for meat.
- 4
Cook the lentils
Add the lentils, pour in the vegetable broth, and put the bay leaves in. Let everything simmer over low heat for thirty to thirty-five minutes until the lentils are soft. Salt only towards the end, because early salting can keep the skin firm in some lentil varieties.
- 5
Season to taste
Remove the bay leaves and puree about a quarter of the soup with an immersion blender directly in the pot, which makes it creamy without losing the texture. Stir in the red wine vinegar and season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle parsley on top and serve with dark bread.
Our best tips
- The vinegar at the end is mandatory. Without it, the soup remains earthy and heavy, with it, it becomes well-rounded.
- Pureeing a quarter of the soup thickens it perfectly without turning everything to mush.
- Smoked paprika replaces bacon surprisingly well in terms of taste and keeps the soup vegan.
Tasty variations
With sausages
In the last five minutes, let four sliced Wiener or Mettenden sausages simmer along.
Oriental
Season with Ras el Hanout instead of cumin and season to taste with lemon juice instead of vinegar, served with yogurt.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 327 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 17 g |
| Carbohydrates | 45 g |
| – of which sugar | 7 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Fiber | 21 g |
Where the 327 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to soak lentils?
Not brown and red lentils. Only large varieties like plate lentils benefit slightly from it, it shortens the cooking time by about ten minutes.
Why are my lentils not getting soft?
Usually they are very old or acid was added too early. Therefore, only add vinegar and tomatoes when the lentils are already soft.
How long does the soup keep?
Five days in the refrigerator and it tastes best on the second day. Freezing works without any problems for up to three months.
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