In this Italian Tomato Lentil Soup, lentils are cooked in a broth made with garlic, sage, and crushed tomatoes and it is topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and parsley.
It is super hearty, filling, and leaves you feeling good about what you just ate.
I love to make soup for myself and my family. Its great for lunch, for dinners with leftovers, and can be so filling and not too time intensive.
I've experimented with all kinds of soup, from the classic Chicken and Vegetable Soup (big emphasis on the vegetables and skipping the noodles) to a Potato Leek Soup inspired by our trip to Belgium, to a comforting, but veggie-filled Creamy White Cheddar Orecchiette Soup.
Jump to:
🔍 Recipe Inspiration
We make this soup all year round. It is in our regular rotation, both for lunches and for dinner when we'll sometimes add some rotisserie chicken.
When we first moved to our town we went out to an Italian restaurant with some new friends and one of us ordered this soup. I loved it so much that I set out to make it at home. This is my take on that soup that we had so many years ago.
🌟 Why You'll Love This Dish
Lentils Are Filling: Lentils are surprisingly filling, and since this soup is full of lentils you'll feel full and satisfied, but not heavy.
Quick and Easy: This dish takes about 30 minutes to cook and much of the prep can be done while the lentils are soaking, meaning you can have this dish ready in just over 30 minutes.
Sage: Fresh sage is one of the big flavors in this soup and it goes so well with the crushed tomatoes and green lentils.
Toppings: This soup is topped with fresh parmesan, fresh parsley, and crushed red pepper flakes for a whole lot of flavor that can be tailored to everyone's preferences at the table.
📝 Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make Italian Tomato Lentil Soup.
- Green Lentils: Green lentils are commonly found in most grocery stores. They are high in protein and fiber among other beneficial nutrients. Be sure to soak and rinse the lentils thoroughly. Do not skip this step.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Choose extra virgin olive oil rather than regular olive oil. It is cold pressed and more flavorful. I usually choose a Spanish extra virgin olive oil from Costco or Trader Joe's.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic. I prefer to peel the garlic myself (this is also a really great way to get kids involved - my kids love to help peel the garlic), but you could always skip the step and buy pre-peeled or pre-minced garlic.
- Can Crushed Tomatoes: Using canned crushed tomatoes, unlike diced tomatoes, creates a smooth and creamy tomato broth. However, I've also made this with diced tomatoes and crushed them slightly with the back of a slotted spoon for a chunkier sauce, or used a can of San Marzano tomatoes and pureed them in the blender before adding them to the soup. You can use any kind of canned tomatoes that you prefer. If you're looking for a soup to use fresh tomatoes, try this Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup with Barley.
- Sage: Fresh sage leaves are key in this recipe. They give the soup so much flavor and makes the soup what it is.
- Bay Leaf: Adds subtle flavor, be sure to fish it out before serving the soup.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Start with ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes in the soup for a mild impact and increase from there based on your spice preferences. Or hold it on the side and add it to individual bowls.
- Parmesan Cheese: I highly recommend grating fresh parmesan cheese yourself. You avoid the anti-caking ingredients in pre-grated parmesan and it tastes better. I like the wedge of parmesan cheese from Trader Joe's. It's not too expensive.
- TIP: You can freeze parmesan cheese rinds and then toss them in a soup like this one to add depth of flavor. Remove the rind (if adding) before serving the soup.
- Parsley: Parsley is added mostly for color, but it also taste fresh and bright and is a great complement for the soup. If you're running low on time, this is the one to skip.
- Salt: Add salt according to your preference. If you don't know where to start add ¼ to ½ teaspoon to start, taste, and adjust from there. Or add additional salt to individual bowls.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Variations
I've made this soup dozens of times with many different variations. Feel free to make it your own or find inspiration from some of my versions below.
- Bacon or Pancetta: Before adding the garlic, add sliced bacon or pancetta. It adds fat and flavor. It's definitely good, but I've found that it doesn't make a huge impact, so I make it without.
- Rotisserie Chicken or Chicken Breast: I've added pre-cooked rotisserie chicken or sometimes diced chicken breast that cooks in the soup. It's a nice way to bulk up the soup and make more of a meal out of it. However, I do find that I feel full even without adding extra chicken.
- Canned Tomatoes: For a smooth sauce use crushed tomatoes or puree a can of tomatoes (I prefer San Marzano if I'm going to puree it), for a chunkier sauce use diced tomatoes. If you're adventurous, you could even use fresh or garden-grown tomatoes, especially if you have plenty growing in your garden.
- Crusty Bread: For a treat, try serving this with a wedge of crusty bread.
🍲 How to Make Italian Tomato Lentil Soup
Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Italian Tomato Lentil Soup.
Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Step 1. Soak the Lentils: Add the green lentils to a sieve and place it on top of a medium bowl or pot. Then add water to cover the lentils and allow them to soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Prep Tip: You can let the lentils soak while you start prepping the soup - mince the garlic, the sage, and the parsley and grate the parmesan cheese.
Step 2. Saute the Garlic: Bring a large pot or Dutch oven to medium to low heat. Think of a heat setting of "4" on a scale of "1-10". Once the pot is warm, add the extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to burn.
Step 3. Add the lentils and liquid ingredients: Rinse and drain the lentils. Add the lentils, the can of crushed tomatoes, and 5 cups of water.
Step 4. Add herbs and spices: Add the minced sage, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste. Stir to combine.
Cooking Tip - Salt: If you don't know how much salt to add, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon to start, taste, and adjust from there. Everyone has different salt preferences often based on what you are used to - how much salt you typically add to your food or that you are consuming in prepared or packaged foods.
Step 5. Cook the Soup: Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer for 20-25 minutes. This allows the lentils to cook and the flavors to meld together.
Step 6. Serve: Remove and discard the bay leaf. Serve the soup in bowls and top with additional crushed red pepper flakes, minced parsley, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
More Tips and Tricks
- Broth: For a thinner broth add 1 additional cup of water. For a thicker broth reduce the water added by ½ - 1 cup.
- Rinsing & Soaking the Lentils: This is an important step that should not be skipped. This cleans the lentils, removes excess starch, and helps with digestion.
- Cooking the Lentils: The lentils cook in the simmering broth. You can taste test before removing the soup from the heat to make sure that the lentils are cooked. The lentils should be firm, but easy to bite or chew. If you cook the soup too long the lentils will get overcooked. Look for a consistency that's similar to al dente pasta.
- Doubling the Recipe: This is a great recipe to double. For very little effort you can get a large batch of soup that you can freeze or have for multiple dinners and lunches. We routinely double this recipe and finish it within a week.
🍴How to Serve, Store, and Freeze
To Serve: Ladle the soup into individual bowls and top with red pepper flakes, parsley, and parmesan cheese. You can serve this with a chunk of crusty bread or alongside a salad.
To Store: To store the soup allow it to cool and transfer it to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. To reheat place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave or otherwise warm up in a pot on the stove.
To Freeze: Allow the soup to cool to room temperature and transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
If You're Interested In More Soup Recipes You May Love These:
If you tried this Italian Tomato Lentil Soup Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear your feedback!
Italian Tomato Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup green lentils
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 5 cups water
- 10 large sage leaves, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- parmesan cheese, freshly grated for serving
- ½ bunch parsley, chopped for serving, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak the lentils in water in a sieve while preparing the garlic, sage, parmesan, and parsley. Then rinse the lentils thoroughly.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven add two tablespoon of olive oil at medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to brown. Add the can of crushed tomatoes.
- Add 5 cups of water, green lentils, sage, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer for 20-25 minutes and allow the flavors to meld together. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Serve warm with the parmesan cheese and parsley.
Notes
- Prep Tip: You can let the lentils soak while you start prepping the soup - mince the garlic, the sage, and the parsley and grate the parmesan cheese.
- Broth: For a thinner broth add 1 additional cup of water. For a thicker broth reduce the water added by ½ - 1 cup.
- Rinsing & Soaking the Lentils: This is an important step that should not be skipped. This cleans the lentils, removes excess starch, and helps with digestion.
- Cooking the Lentils: While the soup is simmering, the lentils are cooking. You can taste test before removing the soup from the heat to make sure that the lentils are cooked. The lentils should be firm, but easy to bite or chew. If you cook the soup too long the lentils will get overcooked. Look for a consistency that's similar to al dente pasta.
- Salt: If you don't know how much salt to add, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon to start, taste, and adjust from there. Everyone has different salt preferences often based on what you are used to - how much salt you typically add to your food or that you are consuming in prepared or packaged foods.
- Doubling the Recipe: This is a great recipe to double. For very little effort you can get a large batch of soup that you can freeze or have for multiple dinners and lunches. We routinely double this recipe and finish it within a week.
Leave a Reply