Best lentil soup recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is it healthy to eat lentil soup every day? ›

Eating more lentils may help people maintain a healthy weight or lose weight. Replacing energy-dense (or high calorie) foods with legumes such as lentils can help people prevent or manage obesity and lose weight. Research suggests that regularly eating lentils may help with the management and prevention of diabetes.

The other good news: Lentils don't need to soak as beans do (though you do need to sort and rinse them before cooking). Different types of lentils cook in different amounts of time. Red lentils are the fastest cooking and they dissolve as they cook and make for a smooth soup.

To avoid a bland lentil soup, use a flavorful broth—whether that's homemade or store-bought chicken or vegetable broth. The other key is building flavor. To do so, use aromatics like onions and garlic, include fresh or dried herbs, and season well with salt and pepper.

Avoiding Mushy Lentils

After trying many different cooking methods for lentils, I have found that the most reliable way to cook perfectly tender lentils is to bring them to a rapid simmer, then reduce the heat to low for the rest of cooking.

Black Lentils (Beluga lentils)

Thanks to the robust flavor, these lentils pair well with meaty veggies and marinated proteins like mushrooms, tofu, and seitan. Best of all, black lentils are the most nutritious variety of lentils, boasting the highest amount of protein, plus high levels of calcium, potassium, and iron.

Overall, lentils are a highly nutritious food with various health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. The fiber and protein content in lentils make them beneficial for weight management, blood sugar regulation, and supporting overall gut health.

Avoid other behaviors that might make you feel gassy if you're adding more fiber to your diet, like chewing gum. Soak lentils before cooking them to minimize the gas they might cause. The soaking process will help get rid of some of the oligosaccharides, like raffinose that can make you feel gassy and bloated.

Go easy—if you purée the soup too much, it will get too thick and you'll lose the integrity of the lentils. If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer a few cups of the soup to a standard blender and purée, then return the blended soup to the pot.

the color change you've observed is from oxidation. If you want to prevent this, lay some plastic wrap over the surface of your lentils to prevent air from getting to them, or add some acid, like lime juice, to the recipe.

Why do I feel nauseous after Lentil Soup? ›

Lentils are frequently cooked with strong spices, which can cause indigestion in some people. Lentils are a good source of potassium, however, too many lentils in the diet can cause hyperkalemia (symptoms may include vomiting, fatigue, irregular heartbeat and difficulty breathing) in people with poor kidney function.

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

Rinse. On occasion, you'll find small rocks or debris mixed in with dried lentils. To avoid eating them, rinse the lentils in a fine mesh sieve and pick them over before you cook them.

When cooking dal why does it create foam on the top? The grey foam that forms on top of a pan of lentils is caused by a substance in the beans called saponins. This substance lathers up in the water, just like soap – in fact, the word 'saponins' actually comes from the Latin word for soap, 'sap!

(You can even cook lentils in an Instant Pot.) In terms of how often you should be eating lentils, enjoying them a few times per week is ideal to reap all their amazing benefits.

Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse. A 1/2 cup serving is an excellent source of folate, fiber, and manganese, and a good source of protein, thiamin, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and copper. Folate is required to create DNA and other genetic material.

Amy's Organic Low Sodium Lentil Vegetable Soup is one the healthiest canned soups because it's made with non-GMO, organic ingredients, is low in sodium, and is a great source of protein and fiber. With 11 grams of plant-based protein and 8 grams of fiber in one can, this lentil vegetable soup is filling and nutritious.

They are a good source of B vitamins, folate, iron, and potassium. They also contain high levels of protein and fiber. Lentils are relatively quick and easy to prepare, and their low cost makes them an accessible form of high quality protein for many people around the world.