Joy the Baker

Ginger and Lentil Soup

by 122 Comments

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Something other than butter.

Something other than sugar.

Something other than bacon and breakfast.

I feel healthy and strong and clear skinned and shiny haired.  And I totally want tater tots .

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I know you don’t necessarily come here for healthy stuff like ginger and lentils.

I just can’t possibly eat all the muffins and scones and biscuits I make… and this is the mess I eat in real life.

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This lentil soup is simple and straightforward.

I used French lentils.  They come with an accent.  They’re a speckled green and cook up plump and with a touch of crunch.  They don’t turn to mush like brown lentils sometimes do.  Ginger and garlic give this soup all its flavor.  The more ginger, the more of a kick your soup will be.  The amount of garlic added depends entirely on whether or not you have anyone to whisper to or make out with.

I added cumin, cayenne pepper and lemon to the soup because… it’s soup.  Anything goes.

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Ginger and Lentil Soup

adapted from Essential New York Time Cookbook

serves 8

Print this Recipe!

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped small

3 to 6 cloves garlic, minced

3 to 4 tablespoons ginger, grated or finely diced

3  cups water

3 to 4 carrots, sliced

1 pound French lentils

6 cups vegetable or chicken broth

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

grated Gruyere cheese for serving

cooked couscous for serving

Take some time to sift through the lentils.  Do it.  Sometimes you find little rocks and pebbles.  Those are bad for the teeth.  I found a rock in my lentils… check through!  After picking through the lentils, place in a colander and rinse with cool water.  Set aside.

Chop onions, garlic and grate ginger and chop carrots.

Place a large pot over medium heat.  Add oil.  When oil is hot, add onions.  Cook until transparent and slightly browned.  Add garlic, ginger and carrots and and cook, while stirring, for 1 minute.  Add cumin and cayenne pepper and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the water to the hot pot and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot as the liquid sizzles.  Add lentils and broth and simmer for about 45 minutes, until lentils have softened.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Finish with lemon.

Serve with grated cheese and/or couscous.

Soup will last, in an airtight container in the fridge, for about a week.  Soup is also great to keep in the freezer.  It’s a win.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Adi

    Just made this for dinner tonight (and for the whole week!). It was absolutely delicious! I really appreciate the serving suggestion of couscous and gruyere – it was a really nice touch.

    Reply

  3. lauren

    i love beans! i know the people around me must not (the gases.. the horror!) but i’m excited to make a large pot of this. muhahaha!

    Reply

  4. heidi

    i really love this soup, joy! i’ve made it twice now and am excited to do it again!
    i’ve enjoyed your blog for a couple years now and am finally getting around to commenting! i love your heartfelt, funny, honest posts – it’s what keeps me coming back (not to mention the beautiful pictures and delicious variety of food!)

    Reply

  5. withinseason

    This was great – especially after heavy eating all week. FYI: I subbed for gruyere with parmesan. I also did not have any garlic (i know!!), so went big on the ginger and used fresh chives at the very end on top with the cheese. Delish.

    Reply

  7. Claire

    Loved this! Took away the additions you made and kept it simple with just salt and pepper. Added really thick chunks of bacon, though. Totally recommend doing this.

    Reply

  10. Anna

    I love the savory, meal-type dishes! I’m always looking for new healthy meal ideas that can be used for a few days. Thanks Joy!

    Reply

  12. Cherry

    Yesterday I made a salad that called for with French Lentils and Roasted Beets and Carrots. Only I subbed the lentils with yellow split peas; they turned a gorgeous red after mixing it up with the beets. The salad was a yummy accompaniment to the standard grilled sausage and hot dogs fare at our Super Bowl party! The recipe is super easy; mix in a bowl with olive oil, beets, carrots, and onion, roast at 400 degrees just until fork tender. Remove to cool. Dice beets, carrots, and onion and mix with lemon juice (to taste), s&p, and crushed or minced garlic. Let sit. Meanwhile, boil lentils just until done (don’t overcook), cool then toss with marinating root veggies. Top with chopped parsley and serve on a bed of baby spinach, chilled or at room temp. Enjoy!

    Reply

  13. Jenny

    This recipe inspired me to use the lentils that have been forever in my cupboard. I put everything in a slow cooker and I’m going to cook it on low for around 6-8 hours. I also added some butternut squash that I had just to give the soup a pop of color.

    Reply

  14. Karyn

    This made me smile. I enjoy sweet things so much more when stuff like this makes up the bulk of my meals.

    Ginger, gruyere, and couscous…lentils need lovely complements like that! I plan to give this a shot.

    Reply

  15. Stephanie

    I actually LIKE sorting through the lentils (or beans) for the pebbles. It’s relaxing. Is that weird? This soup looks wonderful, especially with the couscous. Yum.

    Reply

  16. Wendy

    Thank you for this post! I love your sweet treats, but I also love the bits of healthy recipes you treat us to. Your green smoothie has become my lunch time staple!

    Reply

  17. Simon

    I tried this out. Wow! It. Is. Gorgeous!

    I’m on holiday with a vegan friend in a couple of weeks. I’m going to serve this as a stew (with herb dumplings, potatoes and broccoli) for a main course.

    Thanks Joy!

    Reply

  19. SarahB

    This was FABULOUS! I added some curry powder and diced red peppers, then served with a dollop of greek yogurt and a sprinking of cilantro. SO good, so versatile!

    Reply

  21. Heidi

    It seems that you made this soup just for us Oklahomans who haven’t left the house in 3 days due to Snowpocalypse 2011. Yes, that’s what we’re calling it. Thank you very much for a reason to get out and go to the grocery store.

    Reply

  22. pilar

    Hi Joy, I really don’t like lentils at all, don’t eat them very often, but this soup made me change my mind….I will probably be eaten this soup very often. I totally love couscous and ginger. Thanks for this great recipe.

    Reply

  24. carly

    I already had a pot of lentil soup on yesterday (ice storm in nyc was the ultimate soup weather) when I read this, but hello, how did I never think of serving lentil soup with cous cous? I immediately made some to go with it– thanks for the tip. I’ll have to try your lentil soup for the next storm (and with the winter we’ve had, I expect the next storm to happen in about 24 hours).

    Reply

  26. Denise

    I don’t really miss the sweets, it’s nice to have some balance and I LOVE your soups! So diet-friendly! Thanks Joy! It’s the Chinese New Year today, and ginger is very seasonal :)

    Reply

  29. Katherine @ Dexter & Dinah

    I have 90% of the ingredients for this in my house right now. The other 10% I can either purchase very soon or substitute pretty easily. This looks like a great pantry staple soup – basic stuff in a special way. Keep the savory coming!

    Reply

  31. Kimberly

    This looks spectacular! I just cooked with fresh ginger for the first time earlier this week (another soup) and I can’t wait to use it again. And lentils…well, they’re one of my favorite foods ever, soI’m pretty sure I’m going to love this soup.

    Reply

  32. Melissa

    Just found you. Re-read your posts like a favorite novel. Have been thinking about lentils lately and you posted. There must be a connection.

    Reply

  33. Kat @ Cupcake Kat

    I love lentil soup so I really want to try out this interesting combination.
    I have a huge sweet tooth. But I think I’ve reached my max because lately I’ve been craving savoury dishes. Maybe I’ll start with this.

    Reply

  34. Janis

    Looks great. I’m always scared to make lentils…scared they won’t be cooked all the way and I will have wasted time and money. I have tried many of your recipes so I know I can give this a whirl and it will come out perfect. :) I have leftover ginger from the Asian Noodle Bowl I made tonight too!

    Reply

  36. Lora @cakeduchess

    I eat lentils often. I always make them with my favorite Italian recipe. Mine is boring in comparison to this burst of flavors. I can’t wait to try this! Ginger and lentils and Gruyere-incredible:)Thank you for sharing this super recipe.

    Reply

  37. Rachel

    An absolutely divine soup. Stuck in with snow and ice today, and I made it for lunch. Delicious. I used about a tsp of ground ginger instead of fresh, and it was so bright and snappy.

    Reply

  41. Sues

    Ooh how perfect is this? I love lentils and they’re so, so healthy. And don’t even get me started on ginger. I could eat it by the pound!

    Reply

  43. Aku

    This looks and sounds so wholesome and healthful, mmmmm. I love lentils and the ginger sounds perfectly warming for a February night. Thanks :)

    Reply

  47. Alice

    Yummy. Lentil soup is one of my top 10 foods I’d take on a deserted island. And I KNEW you couldn’t just eat all the cake and cookies you bake throughout the week – but honestly, where do they disappear to? You can’t have friends over for breakfast, lunch and dinner that help eating all those sweets. I really like baking, and I have 4 flatmates, but even they have pronounced an embargo on anything I bake or cook, because they’re fed up, quite literally. So, cards on the table, where do they go to?

    Alice x

    Reply

  49. Gen

    Well, healthy dishes can be really tasty too! Even if I love sugar stuff, I like a good meal once in a while. And the colors are just perfect!

    Reply

  50. Dannie

    I love the sweet and savory things you post! I’ll have to think about this because I’ve only had lentil soup once and I hated it, but then again it wasn’t made from scratch…Hmmmm a dilemma!

    Reply

  53. Zo @ Two Spoons

    Mmm, I do love French lentils, but never thought to pair with ginger before. Delicious!

    Also, I like to cook them in non-salted water, then add salt at the end. This makes them soften, but still sort of keep their shape due to the outside skin thingee. On the other hand if one likes a bit of crunch, then the salt will achieve that!

    Kudos for showing everyone you do actually eat quite healthy despite the butter.

    Reply

  54. suze

    I just made this and it’s delicious! I didn’t have french lentils but the brown lentils still have a nice texture. Love this recipe! thanks!

    Reply

  57. Lynn

    Trying this tonight! I’ve never had french lentils, but you know what they say, “Once you go french, you never…….” (Hmm…not sure, but I’m guessing it involves not eating the soggy, anemic brown lentils anymore).

    Reply

  59. Linda J-H

    Joy! I saw that you are a featured blogger of the month on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution website. Kudos to you m’dear.

    Reply

  61. thecookingteacher

    I just made a soup like this from a NY times recipe on my blog, it had red lentils, cumin, lemon and cilantro. Now you have me intrigued with the addition of ginger!! Where do you get the french lentils? I have never been able to find them!

    Reply

  63. Three-Cookies

    Awesome recipe, I’ve made something similar many times but yours has more flavours which is great. Carrot would give nice sweetness. You could substitute butter for olive oil for extra flavour:)

    Reply

  66. ellie

    Yay! i finally found a recipe i can use to find the bikini bod of myself! “watch out babies, cause here i come” (drums in the background- i’m so weird) :P

    say, i thought i smelled a doughnut somewhere… :)

    Reply

  69. Elisa

    Amazing, Joy! But what to do with the fresh lemon juice? Is it to prepare the couscous?

    I’ll make it tonight. Thanks!

    Reply

  73. Dina

    Have to admit, I had lentil soup for the very first time EVER last month. It was worth the wait. This one sounds yummy and will force me to try something else new…couscous

    Reply

  75. DessertForTwo

    I’ve been a lentil-eating machine lately. But I haven’t tried ’em with ginger and cayenne! Yum! Can’t wait!

    I used to buy French lentils because the regular brown ones would turn to mush, but then I just started cooking the brown ones over very low heat and they no longer mush up. Your choice–French ones are almost triple the price for me!

    Have a great day :)

    Reply

  76. jen @ the baked life

    I love lentil soup, made some last week. Like always love your presentation with the coucous and big chunks of carrot. Perfect snow day recipe, if it were actually snowing here. Which it’s not, sorry love living on the west coast.

    Reply

  80. LYnne

    Hi Joy,

    Love your blog!
    I am enjoying making lots of soups, but I’m wondering what you use for stock — do you always make your own? Many of the packaged ones have MSG, and I feel terribly guilty making a healthy soup and throwing MSG into the mix.

    Reply

  81. Amy W

    I really wanted a brownie for breakfast this morning.. My boyfriend told me I better not eat one because I already had an apple and protein shake packed for work. He was supposed to make me pancakes. So now, when I make this, I’m not going to give him any.

    Just kidding. I might give him a bite.

    Reply

  82. Claudia

    This is very good soup, delizious, esay to make and very healty! It’s perfect for the winter time! And using ginger is a very interesting choice…I’d like to try it!

    Reply

  88. Kate B

    I have to admit, my little heart soared when I saw “3-6 cloves garlic.” I always laugh when a recipe calls for 1 clove, before tripling it. My husband got a little tray of pre-peeled garlic from the Asian store recently and since it’s so easy to use, now he’s over-garlicking everything and it’s delightful!

    Dang, we have no fresh ginger, but I need it for an Indian-spiced quinoa dish anyway. Hmmm, do I venture out into the 40 mph winds, or hold off for a few days? (I keep crossing my fingers that my boss is going to call and tell me not to come in. Not likely, though.)

    Reply

  92. Giovanna

    I notice that the french lentils are very popular in US but you should try the italian variety Castelluccio da Norcia, are known as the best. Maybe it’s because I am italian (from Rome – but my grandfather was french, so I can say it ;)) but the french one are not better than the italian one. Believe me, try it!
    baci

    Reply

  95. delaney @ heartbreakpie

    Joy! I have missed your posts while travelling. I love lentils! It’s supposed to be summer here (in NZ), but it’s awful so soup wouldn’t be amiss – and this looks gorgeous. I’m going to be re-embracing butter and sugar asap too though…

    Reply

  97. Chiara

    I really love your blog, I can’t wait to switch on the computer and read your new post…
    I think I’m gonna make this soup tonight <3

    Reply

  98. Anita

    Hi Joy, I love love love your blog! In fact, you are partly responsible for the 10 lbs I’ve gained over the last 6 months! But hey, it’s worth it.

    Keep up the good work & soup looks great!

    Reply

    • Simon

      @Amy – I’d be wary of freezing “cream of stuff” type soups, but anything that’s non-dairy, should be absolutely fine in the freezer.

      I have a couple of lentil soups, both with red lentils. This looks really interesting – I’ll definitely try it out!

      Reply

  100. Jessica

    Wow Joy this sounds amazing! And I love that photo! Gorgeous!
    P.S. Super excited to hear you are going to be speaking at Camp Blogaway! How awesome! I really hope I can make it this year!

    Reply

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