Sopa de Lentejas is a great cold-weather soup to warm you up all winter long!
I’ve become sort of obsessed with finding the best soup recipes before winter hits. I’ve come to call this time of year, “soup season.”
Soup season is a holiday all on its own, alongside Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! I’m totally obsessed with all things surrounding this time of year—the dressing up, the decor, the seasonal foods—and delicious soups are 100% included in that list. I’m always amazed at just how many creative and tasty soups I can come up with! Today’s soup focus is a Spanish-influenced recipe for lentil soup called sopa de lentejas. This is one of my go-to recipes during soup season, and you’re sure to love it, too!
This sopa de lentejas recipe is vegan and gluten-free, though there are many variations that include meat and other goodies. While sopa de lentejas is a versatile and customizable dish, this particular recipe uses brown lentils (yum!), carrots and celery, and aromatic flavors like onion, garlic, and cumin to create a nourishing, hearty, and savory bowl of soup. It’s rich and bursting with flavor, while still managing to be a light and healthy dish!
Is Sopa de Lentejas Healthy?
Speaking of healthy, this soup is loaded with benefits. It’s the perfect sick-day soup, because the combination of immune-boosting ingredients and steamy soup can help you recover in no time. Plus, the lentils provide plenty of protein.
What Are Lentils?
If you’ve never had lentils before, you’re missing out! While they look (and sort of taste) like a bean, they’re actually not. Lentils are technically a type of legume called a pulse, and these tiny little guys are packed full of fiber, protein, and antioxidants. Lentils are gluten-free and incredibly versatile, which makes them a great nutritious addition to dishes like soups, salads, and even quesadillas.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
Sauté
Cook onions, garlic, carrots, and celery.
Simmer
Add lentils and broth, then simmer until tender.
Serve
Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
Devour!
FAQs & Tips
Sopa de lentejas is actually a great soup to make ahead of time! The flavor enriches after about a day in the fridge, so you can store it refrigerated in an airtight container until you’re ready to enjoy it for up to 5 days. You can also freeze a batch of sopa de lentejas for up to 6 months.
No, sopa de lentejas is not a spicy soup. It’s mostly savory and earthy. You can make it spicy by adding chiles or spices if you desire!
Lots of people choose to add meat to their sopa de lentejas for extra protein and flavor. You can make your soup with chicken, pork, or even chorizo. Make it your own!
Serving Suggestions
Sopa de lentejas is the perfect comfort food, so serve it with warm, fresh bread for the ultimate experience. Sopa de lentejas can also be enjoyed with a side of, or served over, Steamed Rice or even Mexican Brown Rice. Top your soup with a little fresh lime juice, cilantro, and Parmesan cheese for a truly delectable dish.
For more Latin-American soup ideas, take a look at these recipes for Sopa de Lima, Caldo de Camarón and Pozole Blanco.
Sopa de Lentejas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 carrots diced
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 1 cup brown lentils rinsed and drained
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh cilantro chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
-
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Add the diced carrots and celery to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-
Stir in the lentils, vegetable broth, bay leaf, and ground cumin. Bring the mixture to a boil.
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Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Remove the bay leaf. Serve the soup hot, garnished with chopped fresh cilantro.
Nutrition
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