This easy Beef Lentil Soup recipe is so comforting and filling. Throw all the ingredients in your pot and let those delicious flavors simmer together to make a delicious meal everyone will love.
Beef Lentil Soup
This delicious soup is both filling and nutritious! When I need something fast to throw together for a filling weeknight dinner, this is my go-to. What I love about this recipe is that it’s also very versatile! It’s perfect for using up extra veggies you have hanging out in your fridge.
Lentil soup may include vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, celery, parsley, tomato, squash, and onion. I also like to serve my lentil soup with croutons, chopped herbs, sour cream/plain yogurt, or a splash of hot sauce.
What Are Lentils?
Lentils are miniature legumes packed with nutrients. These little guys pack protein, minerals, fibre, as well as awesome taste! You can use brown, red, yellow or black lentils, with or without the husk. Dehulled yellow and red lentils tend to disintegrate as they boil. These types would be perfect if you want to make a thick soup. You can keep this lentil soup vegetarian or include meat.
Ingredients Needed For Beef Lentil Soup
These ingredients are very basic. Feel free to switch it up and use any veggies or meat that you like best! Keep scrolling for the full recipe and ingredient amounts.
- Ground beef – Use lean, otherwise drain excess fat from the pan. You can use turkey, chicken, or pork if you prefer.
- Onion – I like to use white or yellow onion for their more mild flavor.
- Carrots – Keep these chopped small if you want them softer or slice into bigger chunks for crunchy pieces.
- Celery – Celery adds fantastic flavor to your soup. I personally like to slice my celery nice and thin.
- Cabbage – Any type of cabbage will work.
- Dried Lentils – I used red lentils with the hulls intact. You can use any type you like best.
- Bell pepper – This recipe is made with green bell pepper, but any color will work.
- Tomato sauce and tomato paste – You can use use tomato sauce if that’s all you have handy, but I do recommend adding tomato paste to your grocery list. A little goes a long way!
- Frozen spinach – You can use either frozen or fresh spinach.
- Seasoning and herbs – I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, and a bay leaf. You can use any of your favorites!
How To Make Beef Lentil Soup
- Brown the beef: Add the ground beef to a large soup pot and cook it until it’s no longer pink. If there’s a lot of fat left over, drain.
- Cook the veggies: Saute the onion, carrots, celery, cabbage, lentils, bell pepper, salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion softens. Stir in the tomato paste and toast for 30 seconds.
- Finish the soup: Add water and the tomato sauce. Stir well and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the chopped spinach, and serve.
Is Lentil Soup Healthy?
Lentil soup is a highly nutritious! It’s a great source of protein, dietary fiber, iron and potassium. It’s also great for liver health. Unlike other dried beans, lentils can be cooked in less than an hour. They are such an easy and affordable ingredient to add to many meals.
Can I Make This Lentil Soup In A Slow Cooker?
Absolutely! I would still brown the ground beef first, then simply dump all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours.
Why This Beef Lentil Soup Is The Best
This is a tried, tested and no-fail recipe. I’ve been using this recipe for years and have perfected the science of lentil soup making!
Why do I love this recipe so much? Well:
- It’s made with easy every day ingredients that you likely have in your pantry or fridge.
- Even with such simple ingredients, the flavor is incredible.
- You can get creative and add any veggies, meats, spices, or herbs that you love.
- You can enjoy this as a meal all on its own.
- This soup will freeze and reheat very well.
How To Store Leftover Beef Lentil Soup
Let the soup fully cool down to room temperature before storing it in the fridge. You can either keep it in the pot and cover it with a lid, or transfer the leftovers to an airtight container. This soup will last 4 days refrigerated.
How To Freeze Beef Lentil Soup
Let the soup fully cool down to room temperature. I like to store it in individually sized airtight containers for easier thawing, but you can, of course, store it all together in a large container. This will last 4-6 months frozen.
Thaw by either placing the soup in the fridge overnight, reheat it in a pot, or zap it in the microwave. If you reheat on the stovetop, you may need to add a splash of water. The lentils can absorb more liquid and create a thicker consistency when you reheat.
What Do I Serve With Beef Lentil Soup?
I love to serve my lentil soup with a few slices of warm crusty bread or really step it up with grilled cheese sandwiches. Looking for some inspiration? Try these recipes:
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Beef Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, extra lean
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cup cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
- 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp thyme, dried
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed, chopped
Instructions
- Brown the beef: Add the ground beef to a large soup pot and cook it until it’s no longer pink. If there’s a lot of fat left over, drain.
- Cook the veggies: Saute the onion, carrots, celery, cabbage, lentils, bell pepper, salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion softens. Stir in the tomato paste and toast for 30 seconds.
- Finish the soup: Add water and the tomato sauce. Stir well and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the chopped spinach, and serve.
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