Create a full pot with this healthy, vegan Lebanese Lentil Soup, made out of green lentils, sweet potato, kale, ginger, and plenty of garlic and lemon. It is an Original Lebanese soup; lentils and veggies are cooked with greens in a broth that is lemony, combined with garlic, ginger, and other delicious ingredients.
I’ve made this recipe for a big batch. It is ideal for dinner, and you are able to freeze the remainder for lunch or dinner for a busy night. I enjoy lentil soup, so for me, it is the perfect soup to own in the freezer every time a craving hits.
Making lentil soup from scratch
Making lentil soup couldn’t be easier. The first thing to do would be to boil the lentils in water and broth, and after that, simmer for 25-30 minutes. As the lentils are cooking, slice the stems and leaves from the kale. After that, melt down the butter in a medium-sized skillet and cook the garlic for under a minute. Add in and mix the cilantro, and take away the pan from the heat before the cilantro cooks.
When the lentils are soft enough, include most of the vegetables (not the kale leaves) and cook till they are soft, for approximately 15 minutes. Add the garlic, cilantro, and lemon, and simmer for several minutes. Then, take the pot away from the heat, add the kale leaves, cover it for 10 minutes, and it’s ready to be served!
Lebanese Lentil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry green lentils
- 32 oz (1 box) vegetable broth
- 5 cups water
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 1 large sweet potato, diced
- 3 large celery stalks, diced
- 1½ cups chopped cilantro
- 1 whole bulb of garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 2 cups chopped kale (stems removed)
- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger (about 2 tablespoons grated or minced)
- Juice of 1 medium lemon (approximately 2-3 tablespoons)
Instructions
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Start Cooking Lentils: In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine water, lentils, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Let it simmer for 30 minutes.
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Prepare Kale: While lentils are cooking, separate kale leaves from stems. Wash them thoroughly. Chop stems into small cubes and leaves into larger pieces. (Note: Kale wasn’t listed in the ingredients but was mentioned in the instructions.)
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Cook Garlic and Cilantro: In a medium skillet, melt butter (or heat olive oil). Add garlic and cook for less than a minute (avoid burning). Add cilantro, stir until it starts to wilt but remains vibrant green, then remove from heat and set aside.
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Add Vegetables to Lentils: Once lentils are soft, add diced celery, sweet potato, carrots, ginger, and kale stems to the pot. Cook for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
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Final Steps: Add the cilantro-garlic mixture to the pot along with lemon (quantity not specified in the original recipe). Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
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Add Kale Leaves: Stir in the kale leaves, cover the pot, and let it sit for 10 minutes. This allows the leaves to wilt and flavors to meld.
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Serve: Stir the soup well. It’s ready to serve and should make up to 16 cups.
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What to serve with Lebanese Lentil Soup?
This healthy lentil soup is great alone; however, it would also be great served with some bread, like sourdough, that is nice and crusty or pita, and some salad for more of a whole meal.
How to Freeze Lentil Soup?
Because this recipe makes a large batch of Lebanese lentil soup, you ought to have a lot of leftovers. You are able to refrigerate the leftovers for around four days or freeze them for around six months. Place the soup in containers that are freezer-friendly or in zip-locked bags for the freezer, and lay it flat in your freezer.
To use again, just move the lentil soup from the freezer to the fridge the night before you intend to serve it or eat it. In case you don’t have time for this, you may also microwave frozen soup for about 30 sec—intervals, stirring between each interval.
Lentil Soup Variations
- There are lots of different types of lentils. This recipe requires green lentils, but when you can’t have them, you are able to substitute the green with red or brown lentils.
- Substitute the kale with Swiss chard or some other leafy green.
- You are also able to swap up the sweet potato with butternut squash.
