Make a delicious homemade vegetarian Mediterranean lentil soup with green lentils and flavoured with cumin and coriander. This recipe was originally published on January 9, 2012 and updated on April 12, 2020.
Lentils are something that I always have in my pantry. I’ve got red lentils for easy curries and green lentils to make my favourite mujaddara. But recently when I found myself staring at a bag of lentils in my pantry I had a craving; my mom’s classic lentil soup with a Mediterranean twist.
This is something that my mom would make all the time when I was growing up, so naturally, I reached for her tried and true recipe. It’s similar to my French-inspired slow cooker lentil soup, but this version is completely vegan and uses cumin and coriander for flavour.
Her lentil soup starts with a classic mirepoix base that has a higher ratio of carrots to celery and onion. This adds sweetness that helps balance the earthiness of the green lentils. There is also tomato paste to add richness and umami to the soup, but the real secret comes at the end when everything is done cooking.
Do you need to precook the lentils before adding them to the soup?
What I love about cooking with lentils is that you don’t need to soak them or cook them beforehand. Make sure you give them a good rinse and then they’ll take between 25-30 minutes to cook in your soup.
This soup comes together in about 45 minutes, which makes it the perfect weeknight soup (add a grilled cheese on the side if you want something a little more filling), it also gets even better the next day so it’s a dish that is great for meal prepping on the weekend.
The best way to finish a lentil soup
Once the lentils have cooked, you stir in some lemon juice for a hit of citrus; the lemon juice really helps brighten the flavours and gives the soup the perfect finishing touch. Definitely don’t skip the lemon! You may even want more lemon juice–don’t be afraid to add a little more citrus if that’s what your palate wants.
The other secret comes from the olive oil; and that’s what makes this really a Mediterranean-style lentil soup. Stir in two tablespoons of olive oil right before serving. It adds a velvety, smooth mouthfeel that gives the soup a luxurious finish.
A note about the salt in the soup. 1 ¾ of a teaspoon may seem like a lot of salt for a soup. I typically use water in my vegetable-based soups as I don’t love the flavour of vegetable broth. If you choose to use vegetable broth, you will need to adjust the level of salt.
Mediterranean Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 9 cups water
- 1 ½ cups dried green or brown lentils, rinsed
- 3 Bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley, optional for garnish
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and 1 teaspoon salt, cook for 3-5 minutes, until onion is translucent and vegetables begin to soften.
- Add garlic, tomato paste, cumin, coriander and chili flakes. Sauté for another 2 minutes, until tomato paste begins to caramelize and turn a deep red and the spices are fragrant.
- Add the water, lentils, bay leaves and remaining salt to the pot. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until lentils are tender. Remove bay leaves, stir in lemon juice and remaining olive oil. Serve with parsley sprinkled on top.
Sue Bellows
Great soup!
Johanne
A delicious hearty an soup after a cold day outside! My family enjoy it as a meal! The bonus is that it is healthy and easy to make. Thanks, Lou.
Nancy
First time I made this soup. It’s delicious. Taste just like the restaurant where I had it last week. Added extra cayenne and it has a great kick!!! Will make all winter long!!
Louisa Clements
So glad you enjoyed it, Nancy! This is one of my favorites as well. Happy cooking!
Johanne Seguin
Great tasting soup during the cold winter months.
Very easy to make.
I often make a pot for weekday lunches.
Kimberly Brosius
This soup has really great flavor. I followed the amounts exactly and added some cauliflower towards the end because I already had it cut up and needed to use it. It was a little thin in my opinion it needs more veggies but i did serve it with some warm pita bread that I seasoned with fresh thyme and some oregano some granulated garlic and pepper and grilled it on my George foreman. I will definitely make this soup again just with more veggies.
Kim Brosius
Louisa Clements
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Kimberley! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. The cauliflower sounds like a delicious addition!
Cyndi
Looks great. Love lentil soup and your soup is worth giving a try for something different. Looks really good! I do have to disagree however with not soaking lentils. Lentils should be soaked and sprouted, or just buy them sprouted (more expensive obviously). Lentils, as all legumes, have a high amount of phytic acids which binds to iron and zinc and a little to calcium. Soaking them and then boiling them reduces phytic acids significantly. We need to be kind to our digestion.
Christie
I grew up eating lentil soup on occasion, so when I found your recipe with all the herbs and spices, I had to try it. It’s so flavourful and it’s slight spiciness is wonderful. I make your recipe often and my family love it!
Louisa Clements
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Christie! Thank you for letting me know.
Shirley Clements
Must try this delicious recipe, soon! It would be a great Super Bowl Dinner! Oh well, next year!
Natasha Carrillo
Delicious! I didn’t grow up eating soups and my giant didn’t enjoy ones he grew up eating. We both loved this soup. We had it with a grilled cheese sandwich. The liquid was perfect for dipping they grilled cheese into. Scrumptious flavor. We are definitely making this soup again!
Louisa Clements
So glad that you enjoyed this soup! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review–it is much appreciated!
Judith
In the ingredients you have chili flakes but in the directions you don’t mention them, when are they added?????
Louisa Clements
Hi Judith, you’re right! Good catch. I have updated the recipe–they are added at the same time as the other spices, so in step 2! I hope you enjoy this recipe. :)
HernamewasLola
I need to make a trip up soon to experience some of this home cooking Lou! xx
Christina
Gorgeous photography and a delicious soup.
Fiori
This is definitely the most flavourful lentil soup recipe I have tried. Thanks for sharing.
michelle
Does this soup really have one and a half cups of oil in it???
Lou
Woops! Definitely a mistake, it’s 1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 tbsp for sauteing the vegetables. Thanks for pointing that out, Michelle!
Shirley Clements
Soooo glad to see you are “back in business” & “up & running” in 2012…I have already picked up the lentils for this soup…It looks great & sounds soooo healthy…I’m sure you will accomplish all of your goals & I too, have “eating healthier & exercising” on my “2012 Resolution List”…I’m starting with the “Lentil Soup”…Thanks, Miss Living Lou…All the best! Shirley