Mediterranean Lentil Soup is easy to make with pantry staples. Top it with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar for a dish the whole family will love. This naturally vegan soup is thick, hearty, and comforting.
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I make it a habit to keep dry lentils in my pantry. They are inexpensive, filling, and extremely versatile. I use them to make everything from vegan meatloaf muffins to cold lentil salad to hearty soups like this one.
This Mediterranean Lentil Soup is inspired by the Greek Fakes Soupa. Unlike my lentil soup made in an Instant Pot, this one doesn't contain extra vegetables like potatoes and spinach, although you can add them if you like.
It's simple and rustic, with the umami flavors coming from the lentils themselves along with rich and concentrated tomato paste. Serve it with a splash of olive oil and red wine vinegar for the perfect balance of flavors.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It's easy to make with ingredients you may already have on hand.
- It's hearty and filling as a complete meal.
- It freezes well, making it perfect for meal prep.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Dry lentils: For this recipe, choose green or brown lentils. Red lentils cook much quicker, are softer, and don't hold their texture. Save them for recipes such as red lentil potato soup.
- Red onion: I prefer red onion in this recipe, but sweeter white onion works well, too.
- Carrots and celery: Don't have them? Or don't care for them? Simply leave them out.
- Tomato paste: A little concentrated tomato gives this soup a complex depth of flavor. Learn more about this magical ingredient by reading about how to use tomato paste in your vegan recipes.
- Red wine vinegar: I recommend drizzling a little red wine vinegar over each bowl of soup when serving. But you can use a squeeze of fresh lemon juice instead.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and saute until soft and slightly translucent.
- Add the garlic, carrot, and celery and saute for a couple of more minutes.
- Stir in the lentils, vegetable broth, water, tomato paste, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat.
- Simmer until the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally, at least 20 minutes, or up to 30 to 40 minutes, depending on your texture preference. Remove the bay leaf, taste, and add salt and pepper, as needed.
Amy's tips
- Be sure to wait to season with salt until after the soup is finished cooking. Otherwise, the lentils may become tough or take longer to become tender.
- Lentils to do not require soaking. But rinse them well in cold water to remove any dust or debris.
- This soup is very thick like a stew. If you prefer a thinner soup, add an additional 1 to 2 cups of liquid.
Instant Pot directions
Use the Saute function to saute the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Then add the lentils, broth, water, tomato paste, and bay leaf and lock the lid. Pressure Cook on high for 7 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serving suggestions
While it's delicious straight from the pot, my favorite way to serve Mediterranean Lentil Soup is to top each bowl a drizzle of olive oil and red wine vinegar. It's filling on its own or with some crusty bread.
It also pairs well with other Greek-inspired dishes like Mediterranean tofu tacos, lemony Greek potato salad, or vegan greek vegetable salad.
Storing and freezing
Leftover soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. I like to freeze servings in individual portions in mason jars or small glass containers with lids. Be sure to allow a little room at the top since the liquid will expand when frozen.
To reheat, first defrost the frozen container of soup in the refrigerator overnight. It will be thicker, so you may want to add a little water before reheating it in a pot on the stove or in a microwave-safe bowl.
Recipe FAQs
Rinsing lentils helps get rid of any dirt, dust, and small rocks that may have ended up in your bag of lentils when they were packaged.
Since lentils don't have a strong taste on their own, lentil soup gets a lot of flavor from the rest of the ingredients like onion, garlic, vegetable broth, and tomato paste. If your soup tastes bland, try adding more tomato paste or extra herbs and spices.
More vegan lentil recipes
And for even more recipes, join the Vegan Mediterranean Diet Recipes Facebook group for support, inspiration & fun!
📋 Recipe
Mediterranean Lentil Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion, (or any color) chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 pound dry green or brown lentils, well rinsed and drained
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper, to taste
- extra olive oil, for serving (optional)
- red wine vinegar, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and saute until soft and slightly translucent.
- Add the garlic, carrot, and celery and saute for a couple of more minutes.
- Stir in the lentils, vegetable broth, water, tomato paste, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer until the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally, at least 20 minutes, or up to 30 to 40 minutes, depending on your texture preference. Remove the bay leaf, taste the soup, and add salt and pepper, as needed.
- To serve, top each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and red wine vinegar, if desired.
Notes
- Be sure to wait to season with salt until after the soup is finished cooking. Otherwise, the lentils may become tough or take longer to become tender.
- Lentils to do not require soaking. But rinse them well in cold water to remove any dust or debris.
- This soup is very thick like a stew. If you prefer a thinner soup, add an additional 1 to 2 cups of liquid.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Freddi says
Love the mix of flavors especially adding Red wine vinegar at the end. Yum !
Amy Katz says
Thanks Freddi! That's my favorite part, too. 🙂
Dina says
This was sooo good! My husband had 2 servings! We are having a cold spell so this hit the spot! We live in S. TX and we like pico de gallo and avocado, so we added that after serving and it was delicious! I also added about 2-3 extra cups of veggie broth because my husband likes it more soupy. Thank you for this great recipe!
Amy Katz says
I love that you made it your own, Dina. Great additions!
Kaytee Smith says
This soup was very delicious. I have made is several times. Thank you
Amy Katz says
Glad you enjoyed it, Kaytee!