The Sweet Cucina

Easy Everyday Food

Hearty Lentil Soup

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There is nothing better than a warm bowl of soup! This Hearty Lentil Soup is so comforting for cold days or nights! Loaded with lentils and vegetables, it’s high in protein and low in fat! Makes great meal prep too!

Hearty Lentil Soup

Ingredients Needed For Hearty Lentil Soup

Kitchen Tools Used In This Recipe

How To Make Hearty Lentil Soup

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the diced pancetta and minced garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the garlic becomes fragrant. Then add in the chopped carrots, celery and onion. Stir and cook for another 5 – 10 minutes, or until the vegetables start to become soft.

Next, add the diced tomatoes, lentils and chicken stock and stir. Then add the italian seasoning and the parmesan rind, mixing well. The parmesan rind is optional, they are not always easy to find, some grocery stores sell just the rinds for soups and sauces. You can also buy a block of parmesan and cut off the rind.

Bring the soup to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 45 minutes or until the lentils are cooked (they shouldn’t be hard). Serve immediately or cool and separate into individual containers for meal prep! This recipe makes about 12 one cup servings.

This recipe can also be made vegetarian, just omit the pancetta and parmesan rind and substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.

Hope you enjoy!

Hearty Lentil Soup

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Hearty Lentil Soup

  • Author: The Sweet Cucina
  • Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x
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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 oz pancetta, diced (optional)
  • 2 cups carrots, chopped
  • 2 cups celery, chopped
  • 1 cup yellow onion or white onion, chopped
  • 28 oz diced tomatoes
  • 64 oz chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 12 oz lentils
  • 2 tsp italian seasoning
  • 1 parmesan rind (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large pot or dutch oven, add 1 tbsp of olive oil, the pancetta and minced garlic.
  2. Sauté over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
  3. Then add in the carrots, celery and onion and cook for about 5 – 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Next add the chicken stock, lentils, diced tomatoes, italian seasoning and parmesan rind.
  5. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for about 45 minutes or until lentils are cooked.
  6. Enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

  • If not using pancetta, sauté the minced garlic in the olive oil for just 1 minute, then add the vegetables.
  • Parmesan Rind is optional and should dissolve during cooking, if not, it can be discarded once the soup has cooked.
  • Makes great meal prep, can be frozen into individual servings and reheated.
  • Make it Vegetarian
    • Omit the Pancetta and Parmesan Rind
    • Substitute Vegetable Stock for the Chicken Stock
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: Soups

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 194
  • Sugar: 4.1 g
  • Sodium: 377.1 mg
  • Fat: 4.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 0.3 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 25.9 g
  • Fiber: 5.3 g
  • Protein: 13.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 11.7 g

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