Red lentil soup, with or without barley, is classic Scottish comfort food in a bowl. Perfect for cold weather days, and some fresh, crusty bread is highly recommended!
During our trip to Scotland last year, we went to Helensburgh to visit Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House. This jaunt was the reason for my quest to make this red lentil soup! Our entry was free as part of the reciprocal agreement with the National Trust and our Royal Oak Foundation membership. I highly recommend buying a Royal Oak membership if you are traveling from the US to the UK and plan to do some sightseeing.
The Hill House
As memorable as the visit to the Hill House was, our experience at the tiny, (almost hidden) and authentically Scottish Craigard Tearoom, was also memorable, mostly because of the red lentil soup there.
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Helensburgh, Scotland
We decided to have lunch in Helensburgh before venturing up to the Mackintosh beauty of Hill House, but had no idea what was in town. We walked down a single street, poking our noses up to a couple of restaurants, but nothing piqued my family’s interest. That is, until I spied a small, brown awning across the street.
The pastries in the window were more than enough to convince my daughter and I that we’d found our destination for lunch. However, after perusing the menu at the front, my son and husband also were sold.
You may also enjoy with this lovely Leek and Potato Soup recipe
In recent years, many pubs, restaurants and tearooms across Scotland have been infiltrated by the American style menu: nachos, beef burgers (hamburgers), hot wings, etc. As a native Scot, it really ires me to fly over 5000 miles, get in a car, then drive another maybe 40+ miles to go to a little cottage pub in the country, only to be greeted with American fare on the menu.
Although the Craigard Tearoom does have chili nachos on their menu, 90% of their menu is authentically Scottish–what a joy! Cullen skink is another delicious soup option (traditional Scottish smoked haddock chowder).
Not only is the food Scottish, it’s tasty, and the tearoom is just adorable with different tartans adorning the walls and the waitresses wearing Scottish style aprons. How can anyone not love this place? (No, I wasn’t paid to write this!)
Is Red Lentil Soup Good for You?
Absolutely yes, red lentils provide lots of vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. They are perfect for gluten free, vegetarian and vegan diets.
What Color Lentils are Best for Soup?
The color of lentils you use for soup and which are best is a personal choice, however, red lentils do not require pre-soaking (although I do, as I feel they are more clean afterwards). Red lentils dissolve without blending if you like a smoother soup. Other lentils hold their shape, so this brown lentil soup, as an example, doesn’t end up like a purée.
My daughter’s discovery
My husband, son and I ordered the Scottish breakfast which included black pudding, and my daughter asked for the lentil soup and bread. When her soup arrived, she immediately looked at me with concern. It didn’t resemble “our” lentil soup, was what “the look” told me. I had forgotten to tell her that the soup would probably be made with red lentils, not brown or green.
However, after her first spoonful, her face lit up! She loved the Scottish red lentil soup, and although looking a bit too “healthy” for her tastes, the country style bread also received five stars on her taste bud test. My daughter still talks about that soup and bread. Craigard Tearoom’s soup didn’t have barley, but I love it, so sometimes I add it. Additionally, if you want a gluten free version of this soup, just omit the barley.
Traditional Scotch Broth Recipe
You probably won’t be visiting the Craigard Tearoom anytime soon (unless you’re in Scotland), but you can make a delicious pot of this red lentil soup which is very similar to the one they serve. Since my daughter fell in love with the Scottish red lentil soup, I attempted to recreate it after scouring the internet for recipes (and not finding anything I liked) and from my memory of how the soup tasted.
It’s too bad I can’t recreate a Scottish tearoom atmosphere in my house.
Scottish Red Lentil Soup (with or without barley)
Recipe by Christina Conte inspired by Craigard Tea Room serves 6
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
- red lentils
- water or beef stock
- beef or ham bone (optional)
- pearl barley (optional)
- olive oil
- onion
- carrots
- celery
- rutabaga (in US) or swede/turnip (in UK)
- sea salt
- beef bouillon (optional)
- black pepper
Directions for Scottish Red Lentil Soup
Place the red lentils in a bowl and cover with about an inch of water; set aside.
Put the measured water and bone in a large pot (I use a Dutch oven) with a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil (skim off any scum that rises to the top) then let simmer. Alternatively, start with a pot of beef stock.
WITH BARLEY (Skip this step you don’t want barley) In a small pot, add the barley and cover with half an inch of water, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Drain the barley and add to the large pot with the bone (make sure to remove scum first.)
In a medium frying pan, sauté the onion, carrots, celery and turnip/rutabaga in the olive oil for about 6 or 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
Next, add the drained red lentils.
The sautéed vegetables go in next, and another teaspoon of salt; stir well.
Simmer for about half an hour, stirring occasionally, until cooked.
When ready, remove the bone, taste for salt, adding more if necessary (or beef bouillon if using) and freshly ground black pepper.
Ladle into bowls.
Serve the Scottish red lentil soup piping hot, with some hearty bread!
It’s nutritious, as well as delicious!
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Scottish Red Lentil (and Barley) Soup
A simple, healthy Scottish soup that's a perfect cold day's lunch along with some crusty bread.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups (9 oz) red lentils, rinsed
- 8-10 cups (about 2 liters) of water or beef stock (less water/stock for a thicker soup)
- (beef bone, optional if using beef or vegetable stock)
- 1/3 cup (2 oz) pearl barley, rinsed (optional; omit for gluten free diet)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 celery stalk, with leaves, sliced
- 1 small rutabaga (in US) or swede/turnip (in UK), diced into small cubes
- 1 tsp sea salt (depending on if you use water or stock)
- (beef bouillon may also be added)
- black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- Place the red lentils in a bowl and cover with about an inch of water; set aside.
- Put the measured water and bone in a large soup pot, or Dutch oven, with a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil (skim off any scum that rises to the top) then let simmer. Alternatively, start with a pot of beef stock.
- WITH BARLEY (Skip this step you don't want barley) In a small pot, add the barley and cover with half an inch of water, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Drain the barley and add to the large pot with the bone (make sure to remove scum first.)
- In a medium frying pan, sauté the onion, carrots, celery and turnip/rutabaga in the olive oil for about 6 or 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add the drained red lentils and the sautéed vegetables, and another teaspoon of salt; stir well and let simmer for about half an hour, or until cooked.
- When ready, remove the bone, taste for salt, adding more if necessary (or beef boullion if using) and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve hot with some hearty bread!
Notes
Nutrition information is based on the soup INCLUDING barley
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 506mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 6gSugar: 5gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
Another red lentil recipe from my friend Janette, from Culinary Ginger: Indian Dal.
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.
Dear Christina
First of all my English not so with the grammar.
I am origin from Thailand but I live in Australia I always keen of cooking western food. I am excellent in Asian exspecialy Thai ‘s Cuisine. I admired you and wish to thanks you from botztom of my heart your posted Pizza recipe in a week I made pizza about 10 pizza I shared them at work and staff at cafe near my house.i don’t buy cans ,frozen ,any processed foods either buy biscuits from supermarket. I love Italian foods,my family live in UK I visit them almost every year I enjoyed dineing out for good cafe I love home cooking your Red lentil & Barley Soup look so good every recipe of your i read the recipes and I know it’s work .i do admired Food editor like you . I have books of Ottinghi as well his recipes works very well. Thanks you so much
Kind regards
Tookier
Hi Tookie! What a lovely, lovely comment to read first thing in the morning! Thank you for your kind sentiment and I’m very happy that you’ve found my recipes to be to your liking. I hope you continue to find more you love! Thanks, again!! And no worries about your grammar, I understood you completely! :) Christina
one word summation…”yummy”
Thanks so much, John! It really is yummy! :)
[…] wrote the story of how I first found Melanie’s tea room three years ago, when I posted this Red Lentil and (Barley) Soup recipe, that my daughter fell in love with. Since then, Melanie and I have become friends online, and now […]
Its always made with a ham hock (shank) and leeks/onions in Scotland.
I am from Glasgow now live in the US. I always make my Lentil Soup with a ham bone. My recipe is a family recipe and we never have used celery. I sauté the onion, but the carrots and rutabaga are grated and added to the boiling lentil mixture. also I simmer for at least 2 hours then just before serving I add fresh chopped Parsley. Enjoy!
Scotch Broth is made from beef based broth or a bone and this is where we use barley. Also yummy!
Hi Bunty, this isn’t the traditional Scottish lentil soup, but I do also have a Scotch soup recipe which is made with a bone.
I’m from Port Glasgow and have always made lentil soup the same way you do….grated carrot..grated “turnip” onion..lentils
I buy the red lentils from a local Indian shop..
South Carolina.
[…] than lentils the direction lentil soup takes is pretty much up to you. Anything from a homey Scottish lentil soup with its turnip, carrots and optional barley, to something like Richa Hingle’s […]
Mutton Soup! or Stew. Mutton is the funny taste I remember – only – does that come in a can? Anyway is that at all near the same soup?
Hi again, Reni. I don’t have any experience with canned soups, so I can’t help you! Sorry!
Had to laugh when I saw your answer :-) I don’t suppose you do, as you do the real thing. After looking all over the web at tons of soups I am going to use your Scottish Red Lentil (and Barley) soup, but with lamb bits. Canned soups are from my childhood days, I still love good old Campbell’s Tomato Soup in a pinch though…anyway I will let you know how it turns out.
And no, your lintel soup is not the same as mutton, mulligatawny, or mulligan soup as I found out. Mulligatawny soup or stew is Indian, Mutton stew or soup, is made in India, Ireland, and Scotland, with country variations. Since I wanted Lentils and Barley in mine I chose yours to hack.
Sounds good, Reni! I made Mulligatawny soup for the first time when I was pregnant and haven’t been able to make it since (bad experience). That was over 22 years ago! Ugh. Good luck and let me know how your version of my soup turns out :)
I think it was barley soup in a can I have tasted (arrgh) it had a different taste to it, could it have had lamb bones in it?
I am so going to make (and can) that soup for my Scottish guy – he is missing his homeland, although he goes home nearly every year. And I have my eye on that bread. Recipe?
That’s awesome, Reni! Unfortunately, I don’t have the bread recipe, but it is SOOO good!
My favourite is to use a lamb bone, which I think gives the best flavour to soup. Second is ham bone. I have a terrific Italian butcher near me that gives bags of lamb bones for free, so I’m never short.
Wow you’re lucky, Patricia! The soup bones here in LA are outrageously expensive. Now that the whole “bone broth” fad has hit, I bet it will be even worse! :(