Italian Lentil Soup (Zuppa di Lenticchie)

This Italian lentil soup or zuppa di lenticchie, is a rustic lentil soup that is hearty, healthy and traditional cooking at its best.

Italian lentil soup in a bowl

During the winter months here, bowls of soup are stored, reheated and added to for quick meals that warm you from the inside. While providing a substantial meal without much work it is no wonder that soup is a winter staple for most of the globe and no matter where you live, eating soup the next day is even better, as the soup will sit and develop its flavors. Don’t you find? 

Here the winter garden is in abundance and now that we are in mid January, the last of the garlic bulbs need planting.  Each day something needs harvesting while new beds are prepped for the spring time. It is a busy time, even now. Come lunch or dinner, having hearty soups in the fridge or ones that cook quickly are not only necessary, but welcomed.  

Using nutritious ingredients paired with old cooking methods, lend themselves to capturing family recipes that are worthy enough to share and at the very same time, they embody the idea of cucina povera, perfectly. A peasant cooking style that requires the cook to make the most of the humble ingredients available to them. With simple ingredients and amazing flavor this hearty Italian lentil soup recipe is quindecinnial, cucina povera cooking. 

This Italian Lentil Soup Is…

  • Is great to serve with crusty bread.
  • A hearty soup made with simple ingredients.
  • A healthy vegetarian lentil soup perfect for a cold winter day.
  • Simple to make with minimal prep time.
  • An easy soup with a rustic texture and protein-rich lentils.

Ingredients

Lentils- you can use brown lentils or green lentils for this. I would not suggest using red lentils as they do not hold their shape as well.

Pasta- any short cut pasta works, I like using macaroni, or ditali pasta. You can also break up longer cut pasta into bite sized pieces as well. 

Onions- white or yellow onion work best for this.

Tomato Sauce- I like to add a splash of tomato sauce to this but passata works great here too. If you don’t have either on hand you can add a few plum tomatoes to the pot when cooking the onions or even a tbsp. or two of tomato paste. The idea is to give a little richness and flavor to the broth.

Oil- I use extra virgin olive oil but pure olive oil or avocado oil will work well here also.

Seasoning- I use sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Kosher salt and Himalayan pink salt are great alternatives. If using standard table salt and pepper, use slightly less salt then recipe calls for and add more as needed. Sea salt tends to be slightly less salty than table salt.

Herbs- dried oregano and one to two bay leaves. You can use fresh or dried herbs for this. The recipe calls for dried however, fresh will work fine. When using fresh you will need roughly 3 x the amount of fresh herbs called for in the recipe.

Cheese- I like to use freshly grated parmesan cheese to garnish the soup. 

Water- you will need several cups of water. I prefer water over chicken stock or vegetable broth. It gives a better result overall. 

Tools

Dutch Oven or Soup Pot

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 Directions

cut onions on a cutting board

Dice onions into small pieces. Add the diced onions to a large pot with olive oil over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

olive oil in a pot
tomato sauce and onions

Allow the onions to cook until translucent. Add the tomato sauce (or other tomato alternative listed above), oregano and bay leaf. Pour in the lentils and cover with water, add a tsp and a half of salt and allow it to cook for 15 minutes. Until the lentils are soft. Remove the lid, add the macaroni, and place the lid back on. Cook for another 8 minutes or so, until the macaroni is cooked through. Taste test the broth and add any additional salt if needed. Remove bay leaf and serve.

women garnishing lentil soup

To serve, scoop the soup into a bowl, garnish the finished soup generously with freshly grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. 

a spoon of Italian lentil soup
Italian lentil soup

Cooking Notes

  • Rinse lentils well before cooking.
  • Use dried lentils over canned lentils for best results.
  • There are many variations of this soup, some nice additions to try are swiss chard, baby spinach, Tuscan kale and carrots.
  • This soup is easily made into a vegan soup by omitting the parmesan at serving.

How To Store

Store leftover lentil soup in an airtight container in the fridge. This soup will last up to one week when stored correctly. 

FAQ’S

Can I use canned lentils for this soup?

You can and you can adjust the cooking time when doing so. You will not need to simmer the soup for the full 15 minutes but I would suggest simmering for 10 minutes to develop the broth. 

​What can I use in place of the dried oregano?

When out of oregano, I use dried Italian seasoning, and even fresh parsley. When using fresh herbs, use the 3 to 1 ratio, meaning you will need roughly 3 times the amount of fresh herbs than the dried called for in a recipe.

​Should I soak the lentils before cooking?

I give them a good rinse beforehand. I don’t find it necessary to soak lentils as I would when cooking dried beans. Lentils cook much quicker. If you find you have issues digesting lentils, you can presoak before cooking.

Is this a traditional zuppa di lenticchie?

Yes. Although there are many variations, many using a sofrito, or a mix of carrots, celery and onions to start the recipe off. I prefer this simpler variation when making Italian lentil soup. 

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Yield: 6 servings

Italian Lentil Soup (Zuppa di Lenticchie)

Italian lentil soup in a bowl

A rustic Italian soup with lentils, herbs and pasta.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup brown or green lentils (uncooked, rinsed)
  • 1 1/4 cup elbow macaroni or ditali pasta
  • 1/2 white or yellow onion (about 1 cup diced)
  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce (or you can use passata)
  • 7 cups of water
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large or 2 medium dried bay leaves
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil plus more for serving
  • grated parmesan for garnishing

Instructions

    1. Dice onions into small pieces.
    2. Add the diced onions to a large pot with olive oil over medium heat.
    3. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Allow the onions to cook until translucent.
    4. Add the tomato sauce (or other tomato alternative listed above), oregano and bay leaf.
    5. Pour in the lentils and cover with water, add the tsp and a half of salt and allow it to cook for 15 minutes. Until the lentils are soft.
    6. Remove the lid, add the macaroni, and place he lid back on.
    7. Cook for another 8 minutes or so, until the macaroni is cooked through.
    8. Taste test the broth and add any additional salt if needed.
    9. Remove bay leaf and serve.
    10. To serve, scoop the soup into a bowl, garnish the finished soup generously with freshly grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Notes

  • Rinse lentils well before cooking.
  • Use dried lentils over canned lentils for best results.
  • There are many variations of this soup, some nice additions to try are swiss chard, baby spinach, Tuscan kale and carrots.
  • This soup is easily made into a vegan soup by omitting the parmesan at serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 182Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 658mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 6g

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