Italian lentil soup is a hearty soup that is perfect for cooler weather. Simple to make and budget friendly, our version includes carrots, onions, celery, and plum tomatoes, plus baby spinach, a touch of oregano, and a rind of Parmigiano Reggiano. Perfect served alongside a salad, sandwich, or some crusty bread, this soup can be ready in about 1 hour.
Full Instructional Video
One of the things I like best about Italian lentil soup is that it can be made with items that I almost always have on hand in the pantry, and in the refrigerator.
I usually keep several bags of lentils in my pantry as well as plum tomatoes and beans. Carrots, celery, and onions are also always there waiting to be used in some way. From beef barley soup and Tuscan white bean soup, to pasta e ceci and split pea soup we make plenty of soup recipes during the fall and winter months.
This is the soup I grew up eating. Nothing fancy about it at all. In fact, it is really basic. More basic than my sausage lentil soup, though that one isn’t too difficult either.
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How to make the best lentil soup
Note: Whenever using lentils, make sure to inspect them in a bowl for any hard rocks or debris and be sure to discard.
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Dice 2 celery ribs, 2 medium carrots, and 1 medium onion (Photo #1). Tip: Include the celery leaves for more flavor!
- Heat a large heavy pot to medium-low and add a 1/4 cup of olive oil along with the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook until soft and translucent (about 10 minutes). (Photo #2)
- After the veggies are nice and soft add in 3 ounces of tomato paste (half a standard can) and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes (Photo #3).
- Next, add in 8 ounces of hand-crushed plum tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1 bag of lentils (standard 1 pound bag), a Parmigiano Reggiano rind, and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook over a simmer until the lentils are soft (about 45-50 minutes) (Photo #4). Note: I always recommend saving the rinds from Parmigiano Reggiano blocks. They add great flavor to almost all soups! Just omit this step if you don’t have one.
- Taste test the lentils to make sure they are all tender and that no hard pieces are left. Once satisfied, turn off the heat and add the baby spinach (Photo #5).
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste to get the flavor just right (Photo #6).
Bring your pot of lentil soup to the table and serve alongside a delicious green salad and this light and fluffy no knead focaccia.
Drizzle your best extra virgin olive oil onto each bowl and offer grated cheese for anyone who would like some.
Top tips
- Check your lentils. Whenever working with lentils, make sure to inspect them in a large bowl for any hard pebbles or debris. Sometimes they can erroneously be packaged at the sorting facility. Just discard anything that is not a lentil.
- Save your Parmigiano Reggiano rinds. When you’ve used the last bit of cheese and are about to toss the rind, think twice. Adding the rind to sauce and soups, like sausage lentil soup, spicy sausage potato and kale soup or pasta e ceci adds another layer of flavor that is just so darn good.
- Make ahead of time. Making any soup ahead of time and allowing it to sit in the fridge for a day or two will allow the flavor time to mature, yielding an even better tasting soup.
- Don’t be afraid to add. I added baby spinach to this recipe, but don’t be shy to add other ingredients depending on your mood. I usually add red wine vinegar right before I eat lentil soup. My wife usually adds Greek yogurt to hers for some extra protein. Sausage or even ground turkey would be great add-ins as well.
More great soup recipes
In addition to the soups I mentioned above, these are some of my favorites, and more reasons to hang on to those Parmigiano Reggiano rinds!
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Italian Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60g) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 ounces (85g) tomato paste
- 1 cup (240g) crushed plum tomatoes
- 1/2 pound (226g) baby spinach
- 8 cups (1.9kg) water
- 1 pound (454g) brown or green lentils see notes below
- 1 small Parmigiano Reggiano rind optional, see notes below
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Heat a large heavy pot to medium-low and add the olive oil, carrots, celery, and onion. Cook until soft and translucent (about 10 minutes).
- Add in the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
- Next add in the plum tomatoes, oregano, lentils, Parmigiano Reggiano rind, and water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook over a simmer until the lentils are soft (about 45-50 minutes).
- After the lentils are cooked through and tender, turn off the heat and add the baby spinach.
- Taste test and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and with grated cheese on the side. Also, serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- Makes 8 moderate or 6 large servings.
- Brown and green lentils can both be used. Brown cook a bit quicker and have a milder taste than peppery green lentils.
- Always save your Parmigiano Rinds! They are excellent for soups like this, but if you don’t have one just serve with grated cheese.
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and/or a splash of red wine vinegar is an excellent addition to each bowl.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave. Lentil soup can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi Jim,
This was a winner! I also pressure cooked it. 15 minutes, 10 minute natural release. The only other change was vegetable stock instead of the water.
Excellent! Trying some of your others next.
Thanks very much!
Hi Greg, thanks for the comment and so happy you liked the lentil soup!
Hi Jim, the soup was good but, for my tastes, I added: fresh thyme, a little bit of crushed rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt. I also added the whole can of tomatoes. My husband loves everything with lots of tomatoes. I did try it with olive oil but preferred using sour cream kinda got a chili vibe from the soup and I serve my chili with sour cream. I think I will use chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for the comment, Donna. I’m happy you enjoyed it and put your own twist on it!
Awesome recipe! I added olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar when I served it.
Hi Marc, so happy you enjoyed it and thanks for the comment!
really enjoyed this one! Didn’t have any tomatoes on hand, but used everything else (afraid I used too much oregano at first – probably tossed in a good two tablespoons hah! – but nah, never too much oregano!). I didn’t have any parmesan rinds, but my store actually sells just the rinds, so I picked one up and used it and it definitely added some richness and depth! Next time may add a whole 6 oz of tomato paste too, but that’s just me. I had to add some water as I cooked as I think I had my temp up too high but…it worked out just fine. Used vinegar at the end and mm, was that delightful!!
Delightful soup to start off the autumn, and can’t wait to eat the leftovers! Thanks for this easy and hearty soup. Been trying to find some good and tasty vegetarian meals lately (don’t need meat for every meal!) and this recipe definitely satisfies. May add a little barley next time? (If you have any good barley soup recipes, would love to see them!!) Thanks again – love your recipes and videos.
Hi James, so happy to hear you enjoyed the lentil soup! I don’t have a barley soup recipe yet but it’s on my list of recipes to shoot.
We really enjoyed this delicious, hearty lentil soup. Very easy soup recipe to follow. I enjoy doing home canning, so this soup is differently a “keeper” for us to enjoy later during the fall/winter months for a quick and easy supper meal. I prefer using chicken/beef stock over water when making homemade soups adding a richer flavor. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Brenda, thank you so much for the comment and I’m happy you enjoyed the lentil soup!
This is basically the lentil soup I grew up on. It’s my favorite soup. I make it either German style or Italian. Remarkably similar. I add garlic to both and use fresh tomatoes. I add Italian sausage to the Italian version (obviously) and ham to the German style. I use water and not chicken stock because it’s how my family made it. Love your recipes and this one is fanr6
Hi Nancy, thank you for the comment and so happy you liked this recipe!
The three versions, vinegar, oil, and yogurt show the diversity of your family and the diversity of your recipes. I married a German and laughed when he added not only hot dogs but stewed prunes like croutons as a condiment. Double trouble.
Hi Saundra, the stewed prunes sound interesting! Thanks for watching the videos and for the comment!
It’s a cool overcast day. I made this and also added garlic. Served it with toasted garlic bread. Everyone loved it. next time I need to double the recipe. Thanks so much. I’ll be making it again.
Hi Penny, nothing wrong with a little garlic! So happy you enjoyed it and thank you for the comment!
Janes, I’m obsessed with your recipes! T made the lentil soup and added in some barely. I had some ground turkey sausage I make in the freezer so added that. Them topped it with the oil, cheese and some chopped rosemary bacon that was looking for a home. So good and thank you!
Hi Bonnie, thanks for the comment! I love that you adapted this with the ingredients you had and made it your own. That’s what cooking is all about!
I think those spice blends are over rated. If your recipe is old school and you know what your doing, it will be delicious. If you are married to a canister of seasoned salt everything will taste the same. Your cooking is genuine. I absolutely love your vedios and recipes. You are inspirational.
Hi Helen, thanks for the comment! I really appreciate that and am so happy you’re enjoying the recipes and thanks for watching the videos!
Making this soup again tonight.
Hi Helen, thanks for the comment and so happy you liked it enough to make it again!
Really enjoyed this hearty soup. I used chicken stock instead of water. I also had leftover shredded roasted chicken so put that in the bottom of the bowl and spooned the soup on top. Excellent, easy fall meal.
Hi Lisa, thanks for the comment and I’m happy you liked the lentil soup!
I like that James’ recipes are simple, budget-friendly, and taste so good. I am a recent follower and have appreciated the hints and tips as well as the links to other recipes, like the fluffy, no-knead focaccia bread, that I want to try.
Thanks James.
Thank you, Kristin. I appreciate the comment and happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
Love this ,,, I also made some small pasta ,and poured the soup over it with some great crusty bread,,,,,thank you 👍💕
Thank you, Tina!
Just ate a bowl for lunch! Delish!
Thank you! So happy you enjoyed it!
Lentil soup is my go to soup. Never found one I have not liked. Have added this one to my go to list. I did add lots of garlic(life without garlic is meaningless) love all your recipes. Have used several.Thanks for making cooking so easy.
Hey Patricia. Glad you’re enjoying the recipes. Enjoy the lentil soup with as much garlic as you like!
Love this soup! BTW I added 1/4 cup of barley, which goes well with lentils and split peas. After prep & sauté, I pressure cooked it for 20 minutes with a 15 minute natural release. Delicious, thank you!
Hey Dianne. Glad it was hit and I love the barley idea. Those Instant-Pot timings seem perfect.
I love good soup recipes. This can be used with other beans as well!
Hey Bev. I definitely agree on the beans. We often add some cannellini beans or a mixed bean bag into this.
So glad I found you on Facebook. I thoroughly enjoy cooking and baking… it’s my therapy! Made your chicken
Valdastano and it was delicious. Just made lentil soup. I added sausage and a diced potato and it’s very good. I did have to cook it a lot longer in order to soften up the lentils. Look forward to making many more of your recipes
Hi Tammy, thanks for the comment and so happy you are enjoying the recipes!
Very Good. I added garlic and used half chicken stock, half water. I wanted it to be thinner so added more broth after lentils were tender. Very clean meal with lots of fiber.
Hi Kristen. Really glad you enjoyed it.
This was very good, thank you. I used red lentils, which cook faster, so I cooked the vegetables a little longer in step 1.
Hi Doug. Glad you enjoyed it!
ok to add some garlic, also cover or uncovered for 45 minute cooking?
Hi Vince. You don’t have to cover it, but you can leave a lid cracked if you want. Once the lentils boil, just cook them until tender over a low simmer. You’ll lose a bit of the liquid from evaporation and concentrate the flavors during the simmering process. By all means, add some garlic if you like. Enjoy!
May I also add fresh chicken in serving pieces and diced ginger? This is similar to our Mungo Bean Soup without carrots and celery from the Philippines which we eat with steamed rice.
I always like to cook Lentils Soup. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I think I’ll cook it as the way you cooked it. Thanks again.
Hi Zenaida, thanks for the comment. Yes, feel free to add chicken and ginger if you’d like to make it your own!
Can you cook this is a pressure cooker and if so for how long? Thanks for wonderful recipes.
Hi Merle, I haven’t tested this recipe in a pressure cooker so I can’t say for sure. If you do test it, let us know how it turns out. So happy you’re enjoying the recipes!