- If you thought lentils were bland and unsexy,
you have got to try this Italian lentil soup.
I guarantee you'll make it on repeat.
Every time I make a soup like this,
I kind of picture an Italian nonna,
lavishing all of the love into one big pot.
So this is exactly what it is.
It's so comforting and flavor packed,
so delicious, hug in a bowl.
Medium-high heat. Nice, big pot here.
And then we're gonna go in with some extra virgin olive oil.
So we have a Holy Trinity situation:
onion, carrots, and celery.
Going right in here.
These have been chopped real small.
They give so much flavor.
They're part of this whole soup party right here.
Give them a quick toss,
and give them a nice big pinch of kosher salt
and a nice big pinch of black pepper.
Season as you go.
That's what Nonna would do.
Gonna season.
Black pepper.
Toss, toss, toss.
Brown or green lentils.
I'm using our lentils from TheMediterraneanDish.com,
French Green Lentils.
And one cup will give you a nice, big pot of comfort here.
The good thing about lentils...
Of all God's legumes, I love, love lentils.
They are so easy to use, they cook very quickly,
and you don't need to soak 'em overnight.
So we're gonna use one of these bowls here.
We're gonna rinse up our lentils,
and then we're ready to go.
And we're gonna let this party sweat just a little bit
while we rinse our lentils.
(water running)
These veggies are sweating nicely. They're tenderizing.
They smell delicious.
I'm adding garlic here to this party.
So next, I'm adding a nice big can of some Marzano tomatoes
with their juices and a little bit of water
to kind of rinse the rest here.
Just use your spoon to kind of break up the tomatoes
or smash 'em just a little bit.
I wish you could smell this. It's so good.
Good things are happening.
We're going in now with some vegetable broth.
You can use any broth you like.
I just like vegetable broth,
keeping it all vegetarian sort of meal.
And then a dry bay leaf goes right in here.
Stir that all in.
And then for seasoning,
we're gonna go with a good tablespoon of Italian seasoning.
I'm gonna kind of eyeball it here.
This is my homemade Italian seasoning.
It's very easy.
You probably have a few jars of stuff to use up.
Combine them and make this beautiful seasoning,
or store-bought Italian seasoning is fine.
One tablespoon goes right in here.
Probably another big pinch of kosher salt.
Season as you go.
Perfect.
A pinch of black pepper, too.
Our one cup of rinsed green lentils.
Brown lentils will work. Black lentils will work.
Someone's gonna ask, can I use red lentils?
If you want to use red lentils,
try one of my other red lentil recipes.
Red lentils have a different texture
than black, brown, and green lentils.
They will kind of dissolve.
It'll be delicious,
but it'll be a completely different situation.
So you want the lentils to hold their shape.
They will get tender,
but they will not completely collapse into the soup.
So I am using green lentils,
but like I said, brown or black will work.
We wanna bring this party to a boil.
This party is happily bubbling.
I'm gonna give it a quick stir, turn it down, keep it going.
And then add your lid on top part way,
allowing it to breathe.
20 minutes, and we'll be right back.
(upbeat music)
All right. Let's see what's happening here.
Gentle simmer.
I can smell all the goodness.
Your key here is to make sure
that the lentils are nice and tender.
So you're gonna want to give that a try real quick
to determine if this is ready.
But otherwise, it's looking great.
The flavors from the garlic, onion, Italian seasoning,
the beautiful San Marzano tomatoes.
Oh. So good.
Don't go anywhere. We're almost there.
We're gonna do a couple of big handfuls of spinach,
about a couple of cups or so.
I'm not measuring.
I'm just gonna stir.
Spinach wilts very fast, so you really don't need
to cook this super long or anything.
Just as soon as they begin to wilt.
And then we're gonna finish up
with a nice, big cup of fresh parsley
and a shot of red wine vinegar.
Don't forget this little shot of red wine vinegar.
It can transform the entire soup,
making it even more bold and flavorful.
The acid brings out all the flavors together,
and it just brightens it,
but you don't even know why or where it is.
It's just perfect.
If you've ever...
Like I said, if you've ever thought lentils were bland,
try this soup.
And it's also so hearty and filling.
Lentils are full of all the good things,
especially plant-based protein
if you need that in your life.
Definitely a hug in a bowl.
So let's serve it.
Ready to serve.
This is a big pot of goodness.
It's filling, delicious.
Those lentils are full of good-for-you everything
and some plant protein.
I am so excited for this.
It's beautiful, thick, hearty.
For me, I like to add a little bit of parm
and maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Totally optional.
Why stop here?
Go all out with the flavor party.
You know what I mean?
(upbeat music)
So good.
Mm!
David.
More energy.
More footwork.
A home run of a lentil soup, because man,
all of the beautiful flavor here.
Such a humble pot of goodness.
It's exactly what really good Italian food tastes like.
Don't tell me it's not like how your nonna makes it.
I know that, 'cause we all have different nonnas,
so we all have different lentil soups.
It's okay.
But you should really give this one a try.
Mm.
I have a million soup recipes right here on the channel,
and a couple more lentil soups,
because you're gonna be a lentil person once you try this.
So make sure you check out the next video.
Find the recipe for Italian lentil soup
over on TheMediterraneanDish.com.
I will see you later.
Ciao.
Mm.
Thank you, Nonna.
(upbeat music)