§03 · Dinner · lentil-soup
Revised Jul 2026 · 1 revisionLentil Soup
Brothy and herby, with the lemon going in off the heat so it stays sharp. Thyme keeps it on the Mediterranean side.
Ingredients
Everything here is already in your pantry.
- Green Lentils 1½ cups 288 g
- Red Onion 1 110 g
- Carrots 2 122 g
- Garlic 4 tsp 20 g
- Diced Tomatoes 1 can (14.5 oz) 411 g
- Cumin 2 tsp 4.2 g
- Smoked Paprika 1 tsp 2.2 g
- Dried Thyme ½ tsp 0.5 g
- Better Than Bouillon 1 tbsp 17 g
- Frozen Spinach 2 cups 170 g
- Bottled Lemon Juice 2 tbsp 30 g
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 2 tbsp 27 g
- Sea Salt to taste to taste
- Black Pepper to taste to taste
What swaps in
- Green Lentils
- Red Onion
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Diced Tomatoes
- Smoked Paprika
- Dried Thyme
- Better Than Bouillon
- Frozen Spinach
- Bottled Lemon Juice
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Sea Salt
No close substitute for Cumin and Black Pepper.
Method
- Heat the 2 tbsp27 g olive oil in a pot over medium. Add the 1110 g diced onion and 2122 g diced carrots and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Stir in the 4 tsp20 g garlic, 2 tsp4.2 g cumin, 1 tsp2.2 g smoked paprika, and ½ tsp0.5 g thyme for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in the 1 can (14.5 oz)411 g diced tomatoes and cook, crushing them against the pot, until they darken and thicken slightly, about 3 minutes — concentrating them here builds deeper flavor before the liquid goes in.
- Add the 1½ cups288 g green lentils, rinsed, and the 1 tbsp17 g bouillon dissolved in 6 cups water. Simmer, partly covered, 25–30 minutes until the lentils are tender.
- Blend about 2 cups of the soup and stir it back in — that’s what gives it body without cream. Stir in the 2 cups170 g frozen spinach and simmer 3 minutes.
- Finish off the heat with the 2 tbsp30 g lemon juice. Season with salt, to taste, and pepper, to taste.
Kids: blend more of the pot smooth and go light on the lemon — it turns mild and stew-like.
Dietary
- Gluten free
- Tree nut free
- Peanut free
- Soy free
- Sesame free
Nutrition
Vitamins & minerals
Change log · 1 revision
- 14 Jul 2026
FoundThe top Mediterranean lentil soups concentrate the tomato with the bloomed spices before the liquid goes in and carry dried thyme; ours added the tomatoes cold with the broth and had no herb.
ChangedCooked the crushed tomatoes down with the spices for a few minutes first and added a little dried thyme, sharpening the lemon-and-herb identity that keeps it distinct from the dal.
MVP field manual · lentil-soup