5 minute lentil soup literally takes 5 minutes to put all the ingredients into a pot. Then just let it simmer and you’ll have one of the most delicious, and easiest, soups you’ll ever have!
Originally published April 15, 2012.
Even if you don’t have time to cook, there is no excuse for not making this 5 minute lentil soup recipe.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
It takes just 5 minutes to “throw” everything in a pot, and turn on the burner. The heat does all the work, turning your ingredients into the most delicious, healthy, unprocessed soup!
♦
NOTE: just omit the bouillon, substitute a vegetarian bouillon, or use homemade stock
to make this soup vegetarian/vegan and unprocessed.
♦
Light and tasty pea soup recipe
Just how healthy can this little legume be? Well, lentils are great for lowering cholesterol, they’re high in fiber, and iron (great for vegetarians).
Maybe you’ve never had Scottish red lentil soup. If not, it’s another delicious option!
Lentils also fill you up so you eat less! I always have at least one bag in my pantry, but those of you in colder climates would do well to stock up with a few bags.
5 Minute Lentil Soup
recipe by Christina Conte serves 8
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- water
- lentils (brown or green)
- onion
- celery
- extra virgin olive oil
- tomato puree, or a very ripe tomato
- Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Chicken or Vegetarian/Vegan stock base
- Kosher salt
- black pepper
How to Make the Lentil Soup
Place the lentils in a large pot, and rinse several times, checking for foreign objects.
Rinse.
Begin with 8 cups (64 oz) of water in the pot, adding more later if necessary.
Next, add the chopped onion, celery and the olive oil. The tomato or sauce, and the bouillon go in next, if using. Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of Kosher salt (at least 2 tsp. if not using bouillon).
Bring to a boil, over medium high heat, then simmer over med-low heat, (adding more water if necessary) stirring occasionally, until lentils are done–about 30 mins. 5 minute lentil soup won’t win any beauty contests, but you won’t care when you taste it.
Finally, add more salt, pepper and olive oil if desired. Now don’t tell me that wasn’t super quick and easy?
Serve immediately, and enjoy! I love a little freshly ground pepper on mine.
Don’t miss another recipe or travel post, sign up for my free subscription.
Five Minute Lentil Soup
Just 5 minutes needed to put everything into the pot. The heat does all the work, and you'll have the most delicious and nutritious soup only minutes later.
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 1 lb bag of lentils (brown or green)
- 1 large onion, chopped into small pieces
- 1 or 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup tomato puree, or a chopped, very ripe tomato (or a squeeze or two of tomato paste)
- 2 tsp Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Chicken or Vegetarian/Vegan stock base
- about 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt (more or less to taste) and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a large pot, and rinse several times, checking for foreign objects.
- Add 8 cups of water to start, adding more later if necessary.
- Add the chopped onion, celery, olive oil, tomato puree, and the bouillion, if using. Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of Kosher salt (at least 2 tsp. if not using bouillon).
- Bring to a boil, over medium high heat, then simmer over med-low heat, (adding more water if it's too thick) stirring occasionally, until lentils are done (about 30 mins.)
- Add more salt, pepper and olive oil if desired.
- Serve with warm, crusty bread.
Notes
Make this vegan by substituting the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 134Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 242mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 6gSugar: 4gProtein: 8g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
Christina’s Cucina is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
I will surely make this often however…please clarify why 8 cups of water is listed twice.
Thank you.
Oh my goodness, Sue, I am sorry, that’s an error! I never noticed that and no one else brought it to my attention (I even had friends make it last week)! Thank you for catching that and it’s been edited. :) Enjoy the soup!
IT’S SO DELICIOUS! I’ve made it every week for us and given some to friends and family to enjoy. I cannot keep this to myself!!! Thank you SO much. I will hit the Five Stars for sure!
Thank you so very much, Sue! Love to hear it!
[…] legumes aren’t the only lucky beans! Lentils are celebrated and eaten as a new year tradition in Italy, […]
Made this especially for my husband who loves all things lentil. All ingredients were staples I had on hand and recipe couldn’t have been easier. Who knew such a delicious soup could be prepared in 5 minutes and on the table in 30? Thanks Chrisitina for yet another amazing recipe.
That’s fantastic, Cathy! So happy you found the recipe as it’s honestly one of my favorite soups! Thank you for letting me know (could I ask if you could leave a star rating which is found within the recipe card above? No need to write anything or sign in. Thank you!)
Hi Christina
Would love to make this soup but wonder if could let me know what size bag of lentils you used or could you give the approx. amount in cups or grams etc. and if you have any preference as to what colour lentil you prefer as I have green, brown and red on hand at the moment. I usually buy my lentils from a local health food store with the bags always being approx. 800. grams. If I happen to buy lentils in my local grocery store instead, the store brand lentil bags are either 150-200 grams or sold in 1kg bags in the ethnic foods isle… so you can understand why an approx. amount of lentils you used for your recipe would be very helpful.
Thank you, Christina
Hi Jocelyn, I have a 1 lb bag of lentils listed in the ingredients both in the body of the recipe and the printable recipe card. You must have missed them both. For this recipe, I use brown or green. If you want to use red lentils, I have another recipe for a Scottish soup I make with those. Enjoy whichever soup you make! CC
Hi Christina, I so look forward to receiving your newsletter emails. And thank you for sharing your excellent recipes. I would love to have your soup/broth made with red lentils please. Also, best with yellow pea recipe? I miss the broth I enjoyed during my short time living in Edinburgh. I try to make them myself but somehow fall short. Need a good alternative to ham end! Thanks for your generosity.
Thanks, Diane! Here is my red lentil soup, but please use the search bar on my site to find my recipes (or the drop-down menu when you hover over the RECIPES tab). I don’t have a yellow pea recipe, sorry. However, here’s my Scotch broth recipe.