Italian lentil soup is a traditional vegetarian dish that belongs to the Italian "cucina povera". It's hearty and nutritious, a perfect comfort food for cold winter evenings.
Ingredients and steps for this Italian soup recipe are very simple. You don't need any special culinary skills!
This Italian soup with lentils has countless local and regional variations. It's a traditional dish in many parts of Italy, where the cultivation of lentils is very old and deep-rooted.Lentils are legumes with high nutritional value, very light and digestible. They are an excellent source of vegetable protein, rich in iron, phosphorus and vitamins.
There are many different types of lentils. They vary in size and color. I'll show you how to make the classic Italian recipe for lentil soup, famous in the region of Umbria. It's made with the prized lentils of Castelluccio da Norcia.
Of course, other qualities of lentils are also fine, such as red lentils for example. The important thing is to choose lentils of excellent quality. The result will be terrific!
Enjoy this amazing Italian lentil soup with slices of homemade bread and you will have a really complete, good and nutritious dish.
Find out how to make Italian lentil soup recipe! Follow the step-by-step directions and tips.
Ingredients
PLEASE NOTE: preparation time DOES NOT include time for any soaking of the lentils (read the paragraph at the end of the recipe).
- Prep Time: 10 Min
- Cook Time: 40 Min
- Servings: 6
- 380 g (2 cups) of dried lentils
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 medium carrot
- 250 g (9 ounces) of potatoes (about 1 medium potato or 2 small)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 medium celery stalk
- 1.2 liters (5 cups) of vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
- To make the lentil soup recipe, you first need a cutting board on which to clean and cut the vegetables with a sharp knife and a peeler.
- Then you need a large pot with high sides and a lid. Traditionally we use a Terracotta pot, which retains heat and cooks more evenly. This item is also very beautiful, decorates the kitchen and can also be a nice gift. Even an Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven make the trick.
- To serve lentil soup, we recommend a set of Made in Italy Hand Painted Rustic Dishes. Check out this beautiful set of plates that will beautify your table and amaze your guests!
Instructions
Step 1) - First of all, to make Italian lentil soup recipe, start by preparing the vegetables. Wash and peel the carrot and celery. Peel the onion. On a cutting board make small pieces of carrot, celery and onion. Finally peel and cut the potatoes into cubes, not too small. Otherwise they will split during cooking.
Step 2) - Pour the oil into a high-sided saucepan. Add the vegetables and a peeled clove of garlic. Sauté over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
Step 3) - Add the chopped potatoes. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add the lentils. If you soaked the lentils, drain them well from the water. If not, rinse them quickly and add them to the vegetables and stir.
Step 4) - Then cover the lentils with the hot vegetable broth, about 1 liter of broth.
Step 5) - Add a bay leaf, a twig of rosemary, a spoonful of tomato paste and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Step 6) - Stir everything together and cook over a gentle heat for about 30 minutes. If necessary, add more hot water or broth while cooking. It depends on the more or less brothy consistency you want to achieve. At the end of the cooking time, adjust salt and pepper. Turn off and let the soup rest for about 10 minutes. Then bring to the table and serve with slices of bread. Serve Italian lentil soup piping hot.
YOU MUST ALSO TRY:
- Pasta and Beans Recipe
- Lentil Bolognese Recipe | Ragù di Lenticchie
- Pasta e Ceci (Italian Pasta and Chickpea Soup)
- Cotechino with Lentils
- Fagioli all’Uccelletto | White Beans in Tomato Sauce
Storage
You can store Italian lentil soup in the refrigerator for up to three days. Therefore, you can even make it ahead of time.
When it's time to serve it, just heat it in the microwave or on the stove and top it off with a drizzle of oil.
Yes, you can freeze lentil soup to have it ready whenever you feel like it. Store in the freezer for about 3 months.
Tips
- SOAKING THE LENTILS: Most commonly used are dried lentils. Best cooking instructions can usually be found on the package. Unlike other legumes, lentils do not always require soaking before cooking. Typically, larger lentils are soaked overnight (about 6-8 hours). Small lentils (such as the Castelluccio di Norcia lentils that we used in our recipe) do not need to be soaked in water.
- RINSE: Dried lentils, whether sold loose or unopened in their package, are still a product of the earth. For this reason, even if you choose not to soak them, you should rinse them thoroughly before use. They may even contain some pebbles or soil residue. This way you will avoid any nasty surprises under your teeth!
- HULLED LENTILS: These types of lentils are sold to us "hulled", that is, with the skins removed. They are mainly small, red or orange lentils that have had their skins removed mechanically. This process makes them more digestible, quicker to cook and suitable for those with digestive problems. This type of lentil is NOT suitable for soups, but is ideal for velvety creams and meatballs.
- CANNED LENTILS: Canned lentils do not require soaking because they are precooked and stored in their own water. They are ready to use.
- ADDING SALT: You may have noticed that we suggest adding salt only at the end of cooking. This tip is very important. Salt prevents the lentils from reaching a tender texture. If you salt too soon, you risk finding the legumes hard and raw under your teeth or having to prolong the cooking time by a lot.
- LENTIL QUALITY: Another tip is not to mix different qualities of lentils. They differ in color and size and also in texture. Each one has different cooking times and liquid absorption capacity. This would result in a soup with unevenly cooked lentils. Some still hard and some possibly overcooked.
Variations
Italian lentil soup is a one-pot dish, traditional to Mediterranean cuisine. We have shown you the classic version of lentil soup, the completely vegetarian one. For an even lighter soup, you can omit the addition of potatoes.
Like many dishes of traditional Italian cucina povera, there are many variations.
- VEGETABLES: We can add as many vegetables as we want, such as fresh spinach, diced squash, or mushrooms. The important thing is that the lentils remain the protagonists, both in terms of taste and quantity.
- CHILI PEPPER: For a touch of spiciness we can add a chopped chili pepper to the soffritto.
- PORK RIND: In ancient traditional recipes it was customary to add pork rind to the legume soup to give it more flavor and substance.
- PANCETTA: We can also add diced pancetta to the soffritto. Your lentil soup will be even more irresistible!
- HAM SHANK: In Tuscany it's customary to add pieces of ham shank.
- PARMIGIANO CHEESE: To make the soup even tastier, we can also add a generous sprinkling of grated Parmigiano cheese to the soup already on the plate.
- PASTA OR RICE: You can also add small pasta, usually tubetti or ditalini, or rice. You can do it in two ways. Cook the pasta or rice together with the lentils, adding them about halfway through cooking. In this case you will need to keep the lentil soup much more runny. Or you can boil and drain the pasta or rice separately and then add them to the soup. Pasta and Lentils or Rice and Lentils are traditional classic dishes of ancient Italian cucina povera.
Recipe Card
Italian Lentil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 380 g dried lentils 2 cups
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 rosemary sprigs
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 carrot
- 250 g potatoes 9 oz (about 1 medium potato or 2 small)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 celery stalk
- 1.2 liters broth 5 cups, vegetable
- 1 bay leaf
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and peel the carrot and celery. Peel the onion. On a cutting board make small pieces of carrot, celery and onion. Finally peel and cut the potatoes into cubes, not too small. Otherwise they will split during cooking.
- Pour the oil into a high-sided saucepan. Add the vegetables and a peeled clove of garlic. Sauté over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
- Add the chopped potatoes. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add the lentils. If you soaked the lentils, drain them well from the water. If not, rinse them quickly and add them to the vegetables and stir.
- Next cover the lentils with the hot vegetable broth, about 1 liter.
- Add a bay leaf, a sprig of rosemary, a tablespoon of tomato paste and a splash of extra virgin olive oil.
- Stir everything together and cook over a gentle heat for about 30 minutes. If necessary, add more hot water or broth while cooking. It depends on the more or less brothy consistency you want to achieve.
- At the end of the cooking time, adjust salt and pepper. Turn off and let the soup rest for about 10 minutes. Then bring to the table and serve with slices of bread. Serve Italian lentil soup piping hot.
Leave a Reply