Best 5 Hearty Italian Lentil Soup Recipes

ITALIAN LENTIL SOUP RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
• Lower the heat to medium, add the diced onions (1 medium), carrots (2 medium) and celery (2-3 stalks) and saute for about 10 minutes until soft.
• Add the minced garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
• Increase heat to medium-high, add ½ cup of white wine and cook for an additional minute or so.
• Add the rest of the ingredients. More specifically, the hand-crushed tomatoes (2 cups), the sorted and rinsed dried lentils (2 cups), and 8 cups of stock (vegetable or chicken).
• Finally, add 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 4-5 basil leaves and salt and pepper to taste. As an option, you can add ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
• Bring to a boil, cover slightly, lower heat and simmer for approximately 30-40 minutes or until lentils are soft. Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding water.
• Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Remove bay leaf.
• Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with chopped parsley and cheese.OPTIONAL: a squirt of lemon juice.

ITALIAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
• Add in the diced onions, carrots, and celery, and saute for about 8-10 minutes until onion is soft and translucent.
• Add the minced garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Keep an eye on the garlic and stir as it will brown quickly (1-2 minutes is enough to cook up the garlic).
• Add in the lentils and stir, combining it with the soffritto mixture (about 2-3 minutes).
• Add in the tomatoes and use a wooden spoon to break them up and combine them with the lentils (if using canned plum tomatoes, break them up before adding, and remove the tough white core). Let this simmer together for a few minutes and season with salt (and pepper, if you're using). If you're not using a low sodium broth, wait to add salt until after you add your broth.
• Next, add in the broth and bay leaf.
• Bring to a boil for a few minutes and then lower the heat to a simmer.
• Check the seasoning and add more salt (if needed)and pepper and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Stir in kale during last 10 minutes of cooking. You just want the kale to be wilted, but cook it more if you don't mind it on softer side.
• If soup is thickening too much, add a bit of water (start out with 1/4 cup and check how consistency is). The lentils will thicken up as they cook.
• When ready to serve, remove the bay leaf.
• Ladle into serving bowls and drizzle on some olive oil.
• Add in red pepper flakes, if using.
• SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS:
• Add the first 12 ingredients (through the salt + pepper) to a large 6-quart slow cooker, and stir to combine.
• Cook for 4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low, until the lentils are tender and cooked through.
• Stir in the kale during the last hour of cooking.
• Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaves.
• Serve warm, garnished with optional toppings if desired.

HEARTY ITALIAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Place lentils in a pot with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
• Bring rice and 1 1/3 cup water to boil in a pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, combine the ground beef, beaten egg, garlic, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, parsley, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Form ground beef mixture into 1 inch balls. Place meatballs in skillet and cook 5 minutes or until evenly brown.
• In a large pot, bring the tomato sauce and 4 cups water to a boil. Transfer the browned meatballs to the pot. Mix in cooked lentils and rice. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese to serve.

LENTIL AND ESCAROLE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and smell fragrant, five to 10 minutes. Add the lentils and simmer with the tomato mixture for a few minutes, then add the bouquet garni and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and add salt to taste (1 to 2 teaspoons). Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
• Add the escarole, and bring back to a simmer. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the escarole and the lentils are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the bouquet garni.
• Toast slices of country bread if desired and rub with a cut clove of garlic. Place a slice in each bowl, ladle in the soup and serve.

HEARTY LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, saute the celery, onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the water, tomatoes, lentils, barley, bouillon, oregano, rosemary and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until lentils and barley are almost tender., Add carrots; simmer for 15 minutes or until the carrots, lentils and barley are tender. Sprinkle each serving with cheese if desired.