Name: French Lentil Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil - OR - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil + 2 cloves minced garlic; 1 medium yellow onion (225 g) - OR - 2 cups (160 g) green onion, finely chopped; 1 1/2 cups (192 g) carrots, diced small; 1 fennel bulb (144 g), thinly sliced; 1 1/4 cup (126g) celery, thinly chopped; 8 cups (64oz) chicken broth - OR - vegetable broth (if keeping vegetarian/vegan); 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (I prefer the fire-roasted variety); 1 1/4 cup (225g) French Le Puy green lentils, rinsed, drained, and picked over (may sub for regular green or brown lentils); 1 tbsp fresh fennel leaves; 2 tsp dried thyme - OR - 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves; 1 tsp dried tarragon - or 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped; 2 dried bay leaves; 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, plus more to taste

Description

This French Lentil Soup is simple and cozy cold-weather magic. This gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly soup can be ready in 1 hour or less.

Ingredients

Scale

2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil - OR - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil + 2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium yellow onion (225 g) - OR - 2 cups (160 g) green onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups (192 g) carrots, diced small
1 fennel bulb (144 g), thinly sliced
1 1/4 cup (126g) celery, thinly chopped
8 cups (64oz) chicken broth - OR - vegetable broth (if keeping vegetarian/vegan)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (I prefer the fire-roasted variety)
1 1/4 cup (225g) French Le Puy green lentils, rinsed, drained, and picked over (may sub for regular green or brown lentils)
1 tbsp fresh fennel leaves
2 tsp dried thyme - OR - 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp dried tarragon - or 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
2 dried bay leaves
1/2 tsp Kosher salt, plus more to taste

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Instructions

In a large saucepan or soup pot over medium-high heat, add the garlic oil (or olive oil + minced garlic). Once shimmering, add the onion, carrots, fennel, and celery, and saute for 5-6 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften and brown just slightly.
Add the chicken broth (or vegetable broth), diced tomatoes, lentils, fennel leaves, thyme, tarragon, bay leaves, and salt, stirring to combine.
Allow the soup to come to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, stir the soup, and cover. You'll want the soup to maintain a steady simmer after boiling for 35 minutes while covered, so adjust the heat lower if needed.
After 35 minutes, remove the bay leaves and taste for salt. Adjust if needed. The lentils should be nicely tender at this point. Serve warm.

Notes

Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.

11/30/23 This recipe was updated and may no longer fit specified dietary preferences from previous versions of this post. Previous edit 11/9/20.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 289
Sugar: 6 g
Sodium: 493 mg
Fat: 6 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 34 g
Fiber: 10 g
Protein: 17 g
Cholesterol: 15 mg