Lentil Soup for People Who Thought They Hated Lentils! - Meat Op

Wow I am surprised how good this recipe is. I've never had lentils before but thought I'd give this a go. I used chicken stock instead of vegetable stock, cabbage instead of spinach, a can of tomatoes instead of the fresh tomatoes and tomato paste. I sauted the onion, garlic, leek and some bacon then threw it in my slow cooker all afternoon. So easy and yummy! Mine made 10 servings and I will be making it again but leaving out the lentils and trying it with chicken or beef instead, for dietary reasons. Thanks

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A bit tedious.... but OH so good! I had everyone eating it - even the picky eaters. And to think how nutritious each serving is. It was even better for leftovers. Now on a more personal note, I served mine with the cooked prosciutto, shredded romano cheese, and olive oil drizzled on top. Mmmm.... UPDATE!: I roasted some jalapenos, prosciutto, and garlic drizzled with evoo in the oven on 350 until just a tad bit crispy, removed, and minced. We put a dollop of the final product atop the soup and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Our new favorite way to eat this dish!

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I made this not really knowing what to expect, having never eaten lentils in any form before. As soon as all the ingredients were in and simmering it started smelling really, really good! When it was fully cooked I gave some to my 7year old daughter who is unbelievably picky and she loved it. It is hard to believe it is so low in fat, because it tastes rich and buttery and good. I can't believe it is supposed to be even better tomorrow!

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very good way to have lentils. I substituted french lentils as that is what I had. also, I sauteed the onions, celery and bell pepper first, added garlic and then began adding the vegetables. it takes time to chop and add them, but do it when you are in the mood, it is not complicated. you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand, I had a zucchini and just threw it in. we are meat eaters, so I added some chopped sausage. I used a squeeze of lemon before serving to pop the flavor. I made compost tea (recipe on this site) with the vegetable peelings to use on my plants. my family enjoyed this dish.

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I was looking for something to accompany my protein source for dinner, and with it being so cold outside, salad wasn't appealing. Enter this most deee-lish soup! I think the hint here is to not overcook the lentils. 1 hour simmered on low, along with 8 cups of broth or liquid, resulted in a perfect soup. I too used dried herbs and added 3 bay leaves, and it's just marvelous. Zero fat, low calorie and most important: fills you up. Thank you, Caithi, for sharing this.

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I made this on a cold winter day and what a great soup. The whole family loved it and it will be on our regular menu. Thanks for sharing.

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Oh my goodness!! This was wonderful. I'd give it more than 5 stars if I could! My husband was a little hesitant when I gave him two ladles full but after just one bite he loaded his bowl up! The only changes I made were I left out the red pepper (we don't care for them) and I didn't salt it at all. It really didn't need any, in my opinion. Thanks so much for the new recipe!

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Excellent recipe. I can see why friends ask you to come over to make it! I am already passing it to my friends. This soup is amazing and has taken top rank over the minestrone my DH makes. I will be making this frequently. Thank you for sharing!

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This soup is DELICIOUS!!! I didn't add all the veggies because I didn't have them on hand but I did add most. I also added the parsley, oregano, and basil dry instead of fresh. My boyfriend and myself both love this soup.. I made it about 3 days ago, I halved the recipe and I had to make it again today!!! :)

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Forget the meat... this is good.

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I would give this 10 stars if I could. I have to watch salt intake so I used water instead of the broth but I still ended up with a rich, flavorful soup that tasted so sinful...very hearty. I am in LOVE with this soup and it will be in my regular rotation. The fact that it is also healthy is a bonus...thank you for posting this awesome recipe!!! Note: I added some red pepper flakes, doubled the tomato paste and subbed cayenne pepper (just a dash) as I didn't have any red peppers. PERFECTION. Can't believe I am going on and on about a bowl of SOUP...but it is truly that good.

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Outstanding! Made the recipe exactly as written except that I only had dried oregano. It smelled amazing after cooking so I had a sample bowl before sticking it in the fridge and it was GREAT...THEN I had it the next night for supper and it was taken to a whole nother level :) Absolutely worth the wait to let it sit overnight!!!!

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This turned out really good! I didn't change much about the ingredients, just their preparation. I used a 6 oz bag of spinach, 8 oz sliced mushrooms, frozen green beans (chopped into 1" pieces), frozen pepper strips (left as is), and sliced the carrots and celery. I wanted a chunkier soup and this way I only had to spend time chopping a couple ingredients. I added an extra cup of chicken broth. I only cooked this for about 35 minutes after all the veggies were in because I didn't want the veggies or lentils to get too soft. I cooked it until the lentils and veggies were tender, but weren't falling apart or mushy. Oh and I used regular lentils instead of red ones because I couldn't find them. It tasted just fine, though probably not as pretty. Don't skip the parmesan, it adds a lot of flavor.

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Excellent! This is so good! Who knew something so healthy could be so good? I recently read that ONE serving of lentils per week can cut your cholesterol in HALF. I sure hope that is true:) I cut this recipe in half because I am only serving 2 people. I made it as close to the original as you possibly can when cutting ingredients in half & I did sub a few ingredients to save a trip to the store. I tasted it - Oh Yum! - But I still added a few things that would make it more to our tastes. Also I did not cook it an additional 60-90 minutes after adding the last ingredients because the lentils were already soft. I left it simmer about 5 minutes longer & served. Parmesan & hot sauce add a nice kick!

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Fantastic flavour and so easy. I made this by using a 19oz can of spicy tomatoes and ommitted the fresh tomato and tomato paste. As I was out of mushrooms, I left them out too, but my goodness this was good and it made so much. What a wonderful soup so packed full of flavour. Thank you for the recipe.

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Awesome soup that doesn't need the bacon or cheese IMO. Used kale instead of spinach, veg broth, can of tomatoes instead of fresh, and dried parsley/oregano.I left out the green beans because the soup was looking pretty full. I did leave it over night in the fridge and when I woke up this morning. . . AMAZING. I can't believe this soup is vegan, it is THAT good.

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I've been looking for a great lentil soup recipe for awhile and this one is fantastic. What attracted me to it was all of the vegetables that was in it. I made it tonight and it was delicious; it wasn't meant for dinner, but for lunches during the week but my husband and myself couldn't help ourselves and made it dinner as well. I started it with some olive oil and sauteed the onion and leek with some chicken. I also added some turmeric to the hot oil. Then I added all of the veggies, substituted chicken stock and then put in the lentils and tomato paste. I found it very easy to make and well worth the effort of chopping all the vegetables. I loved how creamy it ended up being. We will be having this soup often over the winter!

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We loved it! I also added some pumpkin when adding the other veggies. It's great and I will be making it frequently!

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Great recipe! Everyone in the family ate it (even the 4 year old)! I didn't have proscuitto or bacon, so I put in some shredded rotisserie chicken instead, and added extra garlic (we love garlic)! I will definitely make this again.

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I changed things up a bit. I cooked the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, mushroom, and bell pepper in some bacon grease first then added the tomatoes (used a 15oz can plus the juices), lentils (I had less then called for and they were grey not red), spices (used dried because that is what I had), and stock (used chicken base not vegetable). Had no decent green beans so omitted those. Was feeding two hungry teenagers so threw some potatoes in the pot and was really generous with the spinach (I had a lot that needed to be used up). It all cooked up lovely, but a little sharp because of the tinned tomatoes. So I smoothed out the flavors with a couple of dashes of balsamic vinegar. Served with crusty bread on a blustery day. It was well received. So I guess, I didn't change this recipe "a bit" but rather "a lot." Ner. Five stars because the recipe you created is VERY versatile and, for all my changes, I think the final flavors were very similar to what the recipe indicated. This will be played out (in many variations, I sure) throughout this fall and winter. Thanks!

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