This Greek Lentil Soup recipe is warm, nourishing, and absolutely delicious on a cold winter day. This vegan and gluten-free soup has two non-traditional ingredients that add flavor and transform the soup into a gorgeous red-colored soup, loaded with veggies and nutrients.
Greek Lentil Soup, known as Fakes in Greek is traditionally served during Lent in Greece. Greek Orthodox Christians abstain from animal products during the 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter. This vegan soup is full of fiber and protein from the lentils and loaded with veggies to make it a nourishing and healthy soup.
If you love lentils, you also need to try my Roasted Vegetable Lentil Salad Recipe on this site.
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Ingredients in Greek Lentil Soup
Simple, wholesome ingredients make up this traditional Greek lentil soup.
- lentils - green lentils are traditionally used in authentic Greek Lentil Soup.
- leeks - perhaps non-traditional, leeks are used in my recipe to add another layer of flavor and texture to the soup. You'll need about 4 small leeks or 2 large leeks.
- celery and carrots - the soup base starts with a mirepoix of diced celery, onions, leeks, and carrots that give the soup a perfect base of vegetables.
- onion - in addition to the diced leeks, we also use diced onion in this soup recipe. You can use red, white, or yellow onion.
- tomato paste - 1 tablespoon of tomato paste adds great umami flavor to the base of the soup.
- garlic - I prefer crushed garlic in this soup recipe. We use 1 tablespoon of garlic so it infuses the soup with flavor.
- fresh rosemary, minced. If you only have dried rosemary on hand, you can also use that. ½ tablespoon of dried rosemary would be used instead of one tablespoon of freshly minced rosemary.
- dried oregano - preferably Greek oregano if you can find it. If not, any dried oregano will work.
- salt and pepper - to taste
- bay leaves - add an herby, pungent flavor to the soup.
- Vegetable Juice (like V8) - the surprise ingredient in this dish. The vegetable juice adds delicious flavor, transforms the soup from a muddy brown color to a gorgeous red, and adds even more nutrients from all the veggies in the juice. I suggest low-sodium vegetable juice to control the sodium in the soup. Alternatively, you can substitute 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes if you don't have V8 Vegetable juice.
- vegetable broth - This soup needs loads of liquid, so, in addition to the vegetable juice, you'll add low-sodium vegetable broth.
- balsamic vinegar - is added to the soup at the end to give it a nice tangy flavor that makes the soup.
- Kalamata olives, feta cheese, and parsley for garnish and serving
Mediterranean Lentil Soup
The two non-traditional ingredients in the soup are vegetable juice and balsamic vinegar, which add an amazing depth of flavor and color to the soup.
Traditional, authentic Greek lentil soup is made with red wine vinegar, but the balsamic vinegar adds a delicious complexity and depth to the soup.
You can also use a drizzle of balsamic glaze to punch up the sweetness a bit just before serving.
How to Make a Greek Lentil Soup
Preparing Greek Lentil Soup is easy, but requires about an hour from start to finish. The lentils need 45 minutes plus to cook until tender, so plan ahead for this recipe.
Boil lentils for 10 minutes, then rinse and drain.
Saute carrots, onion, leeks, celery, garlic tomato paste, and spices until tender.
Add par-boiled, rinsed, and drained lentils to the pot.
Pour in vegetable juice, broth, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes, stirring often.
The most important step in my Greek Lentil soup is to par-boil the lentils for about 10 minutes before adding them to the soup. Parboiling the lentils and rinsing them actually removes the acid from the lentils. It also removes the brown mirky color from the water/broth and helps digestion by preventing the gassiness that comes from lentils.
Saute the carrots, celery, and onions until soft and tender, about 10 minutes, then add the garlic, tomato paste, lentils, vegetable juice, and broth. Add the bay leaves and cook for about 40 to 45 minutes until the lentils and vegetables are tender.
Simmer the soup over medium-low heat. Stir the soup often to ensure the lentils and veggies don't stick to the bottom. If you find you need more liquid, you can add more vegetable broth or water as needed, one cup at a time.
Add ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar to the soup when it's done cooking. Ladle into bowls and top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some balsamic glaze, if desired and garnish with olives and crumbled feta cheese (optional).
Greek Lentil Soup Substitutions
Modify this soup by adding potatoes if you wish to make it even more hearty and filling.
Additionally, you can change the vegetable juice to use tomato puree or crushed tomatoes.
Lastly, the lentil variety can also be modified.
- Green lentils - traditionally used in Greek lentil soup, can take 45 to 60 minutes to cook through.
- Red Lentils - not traditionally used in Greek lentil soup, but you could substitute the green lentils for red. In my recipe, you will simply rinse the red lentils rather than par-boil them. Add the lentils at the last 15 minutes of cooking since red lentils cook very quickly compared to green and brown lentils.
- Potatoes - to add potatoes, dice 1-2 red or yellow potatoes into 1 ½-inch cubes. Add them when you add the lentils to the soup.
What to Serve with Greek Lentil Soup
Kalamata olives and a hunk of hearty bread are traditionally served with Greek Lentil Soup.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - is drizzled over the top when the soup is served for a pungent, yet smooth mouthfeel.
- Balsamic Glaze - a drizzle of balsamic glaze in your individual bowl adds another layer of rich, complex sweetness with notes of molasses. Don't skip!
- Kalamata Olives - Traditionally served with Greek lentil soup, add 3-4 olives to the center as garnish.
- Feta Cheese - Greeks do not eat feta cheese with lentil soup, especially during Lent, but I like feta cheese crumbled over my lentil soup as it gives it a tangy creaminess that adds yet another layer of complexity and flavor to the soup
- Red Chili Flakes - if you want to add a touch of heat to the soup, you can add a pinch of red chili flakes when you add the garlic and tomato paste.
Health Benefits of Lentils
Lentils are one of the most nutritious and versatile plant-based proteins. Considered to be a pulse (a dry edible seed of legumes), lentils are a cousin to peas and beans that originated in Asia and northern Africa. They're super low-fat and boast high amounts of protein, fiber, calcium, iron, and other nutrients.
Green lentils are rich in antioxidants, iron, and magnesium. One-half cup of dried green lentils provides 24g protein, 10g fiber, 80mg calcium, and 4mg iron, according to the USDA.
Are Lentils Gluten Free?
Lentils are naturally gluten-free, however, because lentils are an agricultural crop, there can be cross-contamination. If wheat or barley had been planted in the same soil prior to the lentils, there is a chance of cross-contamination. Also, during harvesting, the same agricultural equipment used to harvest the lentils may have been used in harvesting wheat or barley products.
If you are sensitive to gluten, it is especially important to rinse, soak or par-boil and rinse your lentils to remove any gluten prior to cooking.
Soaking or par-boiling removes the phytic acid from the lentils, which prevents your body from absorbing minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium.
Second, parboiling and rinsing the lentils breaks down the starches, making the lentils easier to digest.
Related Recipes
Looking for other vegan or lenten recipes? Try these:
Greek Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups green lentils
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups leeks chopped
- 1 ½ cups celery diced
- 1 ½ cups carrots diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon rosemary minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 46 oz Vegetable Juice like V8, or you could substitute 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes if you don't have Vegetable juice.
- 32 oz vegetable broth
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- Kalamata olives feta cheese, balsamic glaze and parsley for garnish and serving
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the green lentils and par-boil for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the par-boiled lentils in a strainer and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the diced leeks, onions, carrots, and celery and saute until tender (about 10 minutes)
- To the pot, add the tomato paste and crushed garlic as well as the chopped rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the par-boiled green lentils, vegetable juice, broth and bay leaves. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook for about 40 - 45 minutes, partially covered until the lentils and vegetables are tender.
- Just before serving, add ½ cup of balsamic vinegar to the pot.
- Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some chopped parsley, Kalamata olives and if desired a drizzle of balsamic glaze for extra flavor. Serve with feta cheese (if not fasting) and a hearty bread.
Suzanne says
Delicious soup! Was nervous the balsamic vinegar would be too sweet for a lentil soup, but it was perfect as written above. My new go-to recipe for fakes! Thanks for sharing.