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Detox Lentil Soup

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Detox Lentil Soup is loaded with fresh veggies, dried lentils, a tasty broth, and just the right amount of seasoning. Add a few crushed up slices of bacon for an extra flavor bomb, or leave it meatless. Both healthy AND delicious!

Soup Season at our home looks like a constant rotations of flavors and textures. We love a spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup, a creamy Autumn Squash Soup, or a hearty Beef Barley Vegetable Soup on any given night of the week!

Overhead shot of a black bowl of detox lentil soup, on a wooden board with a spoon.

Lentil Soup

Hey 2019. How YOU doing? (fav Friends quote evah!)

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So every year, we make all of these resolutions. Eat healthy, lose weight, exercise, save money, get a promotion, go to church, give back, skydive, run a marathon, and the list goes on. Don’t get me wrong. I love ALL of that. It’s just that it never works for me past a month or so. I work REAL hard for awhile, but then I taper off and get distracted by life. Because shit happens.

I’m not an expert in any one thing, but what I have learned is that slow and steady wins the race. Going cold turkey or 150% all-in usually doesn’t work for me.

Since this is a FOOD blog, I’m going to tell you what works for me when it comes to the food and diet part.

  • Eat smarter and slower.
  • Don’t cut out, cut down.
  • Focus on flavor.
  • Eat meals WITH someone.
  • Make one special meal per week.

No fasting, cabbage and grapefruit diets, cutting out complete food groups, or starvation mode. Nope. None of that!

Overhead shot of a large stock pot filled with detox lentil soup, with a soup ladle inside.

What are lentils?

Lentils are legumes, or plants that contain edible seeds, surrounded by a protective outer skin. There are 12 varieties of lentils, which vary in taste and texture. For this soup, I used brown lentils.

Nutritional Benefits of Lentils

  • high in protein
  • loaded with minerals, like magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
  • low in fat and sugar
  • fills you up, aids in digestion, makes you feel good too!
My hand holding some dried lentils, over a bowl of more lentils.

Ready to cook up some Detox Lentil Soup? YES please.

This Lentil Soup was inspired from Bread and Wine, by Shana Niequist. I recently made her lentil soup recipe from her book (which I HIGHLY recommend!), and I enjoyed it, but my guys did not. I decided to doctor it up by doing the following things.

  • Added more veggies, including baby yellow potatoes, a sweet potato, and shredded cabbage.
  • Used a few slices of bacon, a couple of bouillon cubes, and some red pepper flakes – for additional flavor.
  • Went heavy on the olive oil for good fats and flavor.
  • Skipped the diced tomatoes.

The pot was literally FULL of veggies when I started cooking them. They will reduce down some, but be aware that this recipe makes eight VERY healthy bowls of soup.

Side shot of a glass bowl over-filled with veggies for the lentil soup.

Overhead shot of a large stock pot of the veggies.

Ingredients needed for Detox Lentil Soup:

  • Bacon – Ok, so this doesn’t seem detox’ish, but without flavor, we won’t enjoy those veggies. You don’t need the bacon, but this recipe includes just three slices. You do you.
  • Olive Oil – A big ‘ole addition of olive oil – remember this is GOOD fats – and makes this soup absolutely delicious. Trust me.
  • Veggies – Onion, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes, cabbage, and garlic – for a very full pot! Load up those healthy veggies. They will cook down during the process.
  • Broth – You’ll need approximately 10 cups of chicken broth. You can use the prepared broth, or use water and bouillon cubes.
  • Seasonings – Just a hit of red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. I always use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper!
  • Lentils – I used brown lentils. Make sure you rinse and sort them for possible tiny rocks. Rocks = no bueno!
Overhead shot of two hands holding a black bowl of detox lentil soup.

How to make Detox Lentil Soup:

  1. Par cook bacon. Slice the bacon in strips, and cook in a large stock pot. Remove and crush into tiny bits. Add them back to the pot.
  2. Cook veggies. Add the olive oil, all the chopped veggies, and some salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until they are softened.
  3. Incorporate broth. Add the broth, and bring to a boil.
  4. Add lentils. Pour in the the rinsed lentils and the red pepper flakes, and bring mixture to a simmer. Cook until they are soft, or al dente. This will take approximately 35 – 40 minutes.
  5. Check seasonings. Check seasonings, and add additional salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes, if desired.

Tips for making epic Lentil Soup:

  1. No need to soak lentils, but rinsing them (and sorting for debris) before using is recommended.
  2. Use just a few slices of bacon to add flavor. This is optional.
  3. Load it with vegetables! Any variety works, and you could add others (leeks, butternut squash, other potatoes).
  4. Cook the vegetables in a healthy dose of olive oil (1/2 cup for this recipe) for extra flavor and good fats.
  5. Cook the lentils until YOUR desired doneness. Some people like them al dente, but I like mine softer. You do you.

BTW, my guys enjoyed this soup, and we ate every last spoonful. 😀

Enjoy!

Overhead shot of a portion of a stock pot of lentil soup, with a ladle being lifted up.

xoxo ~Sue

Overhead shot of a black bowl of detox lentil soup, on a wooden board with a spoon.

Detox Lentil Soup

Detox Lentil Soup is loaded with fresh veggies, dried lentils, a tasty broth, and just the right amount of seasoning. Add a few crushed up slices of bacon for an extra flavor bomb, or leave it meatless. So healthy and delicious too!
4.83 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8 large bowls
Calories: 383kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 slices bacon – diced (optional)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 large onion – chopped
  • 7 whole carrots – chopped
  • 7 stalks celery – chopped
  • 1 large sweet potato – chopped
  • 1.5 pound baby yellow potatoes – chopped
  • 2 cups shredded cabbage
  • 4 cloves garlic – minced
  • 6 cups lower sodium chicken broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 3 chicken flavored bouillon cubes
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper – to taste
  • 1.5 cups lentils – rinsed and sorted
  • splash of balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper – to serve (optional)

Instructions

  • Chop up all vegetables. Par-cook the bacon in a large stock pot (optional – you can leave the bacon out). Remove and crush it into fine crumbs. Add back to pot.
  • To the stock pot, add olive oil, all the vegetables, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper – and sauté over medium-high heat for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the veggies start to soften.
  • Add chicken broth, water, bouillon cubes, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
  • Add lentils and additional salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, and let soup simmer for approximately 40 minutes, or until lentils are soft.
  • Check seasonings, and remove from heat. Serve each bowl with some additional freshly ground black pepper, and a splash of balsamic vinegar (optional).

Video

Notes

  1. No need to soak lentils, but rinsing them (and sorting for debris) before using is recommended.
  2. Use just a few slices of bacon to add flavor. This is optional.
  3. Load it with vegetables! Any variety works, and you could others (leeks, butternut squash, other potatoes).
  4. You can halve the recipe easily by adjusting the serving size to four.
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 519mg | Potassium: 1027mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 425IU | Vitamin C: 20.6mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 6.2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Suebeehomemaker or tag #suebeehomemaker!

28 Comments

  1. Why not use tomatoes diced? When I make my beef soup, I always start with celery onions and tomatoes. I like cabbage too maybe some green beans I’m going to make the soup but I might add tomato, love pots of soup. So nice to have leftovers to eat the next night to make it easy evening.

  2. I added some smoked paprika for an added flavor boost with the bacon, added spinach instead of cabbage, and some fresh squeezed lemon juice instead of balsamic. And it turned out very good! Sorry, I’m terrible at totally following recipes, haha!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      I love your additions, Tony! Thanks for your feedback!

  3. If I’m being honest, this soup far exceeded the expectations I had! Leave it to Sue to make a veggie and lentil soup recipe so yummy you’ll be going back for seconds haha! It is so delicious and filling, a new family favorite!!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Haha! I’m so happy you enjoyed this one, Katelynn!

  4. Corinne D’Silva says:

    This is a great recipe, Sue! I had frozen some onions, celery, carrots and cabbage when we went out of town, and so I just pulled it out of the freezer and made the soup very quickly!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Oh yay! Thanks for giving it a try, Corinne!

  5. This is a delightful tasting soup! Yum!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      I’m so glad you liked it, Kelly! Thanks for your feedback!

  6. This is the best soup I’ve ever had. My husband and our guest also agreed.
    Thank you for this.

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Thank you so much, Syd! We really love this soup too. I appreciate your feedback! 🙂

  7. Made this soup….finally and it’s so delicious!! So healthy, Jonathan likes it too!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Yesss! So glad you and Jonathan enjoyed the soup. So much flavor!

  8. Julia Gatz says:

    Made this recipe last night. Turned out awesome. I used red potatoes instead of yellow and threw in little mild jalapeno’s. Was a little worried about the bacon but went ahead and tried it – was perfect touch. I like veges more on firm side so didn’t cook as long. Definitely a keeper.

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Hi Julie! I’m so happy you tried my soup, and really glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂

  9. Vicki McKie says:

    Made this soup this week and absolutely LOVE it! Flavors were perfect and the soup was very filling. I love that it made so many servings so I can freeze half of it and enjoy it another time. Recipe is a keeper!!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Thank you so much Vicki! It’s a good one to eat for several days. SO glad you enjoyed it!

  10. I made this fir supper tonight!! Can I scream Delicious!!!! So satisfying on a chilly night.

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Yay! Yes you can scream delicious if you want to!! 🙂 SO glad you enjoyed it, Suzanne. 🙂

  11. I like to make big batches of soup on Sunday night for lunches throughout the workweek. I went out on a limb with this one (husband prefers meaty, creamy soups), but it turned out to be a huge hit for both of us! We loved the heartiness of all the veggies and the delicious flavor. Thanks, Sue!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Hi Stephani! So glad ya’ll enjoyed it, and thanks for your review! Mwah! 🙂

  12. This soup looks amazing!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Thanks Karly!

  13. This recipe looks delicious thanks! I will definitely try making it this week…. soup is my favorite especially when its cold out!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      Hi Sarah! I’m so glad you are going to try the lentil soup. It’s good AND healthy! 🙂

  14. This soup is exceptional and healthy! I love soup during the winter and have eaten this now several times. It is filling and is great on those colder days!

    1. Suebee Homemaker says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s on my list to make again soon!

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