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A plate with lentil spinach soup and a spoon. Around it are a bowl with lemon wedges and a bowl with olives.
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Lentil And Spinach Soup With Lemon

This lentil and spinach soup with lemon is delicious and hearty with bright, simple ingredients, lots of aromatics, and fresh lemon juice.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Greek
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 348kcal

Ingredients

  • cups brown or large green lentils rinsed and picked over
  • 2 medium size sweet potato cut in 1/2-inch dice
  • 3 Yukon gold potatoes cut in 1/2-inch dice
  • 10 oz baby spinach chopped
  • 1 red chili pepper stemmed, seeded and chopped
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves  finely chopped
  • 2 celery ribs sliced
  • 10 cups broth vegetable or chicken
  • teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sweet red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2-3 fresh oregano sprigs
  • 2-3 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 lemons total, or juicing and slicing
  • fresh ground pepper
  • sea salt

Instructions

  • In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, season with a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring, until it starts to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the celery and garlic and cook, often stirring, until they soften, 3 minutes.
  • Add the red chili, cumin, oregano, sweet red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.
  • Add the lentils and stock, the leaves from a couple of oregano sprigs and thyme sprigs, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. 
    Simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes until the lentils are tender.
  • Add the spinach and potatoes, re-cover and cook another 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
  • Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaves.
  • Thinly slice one of the lemons and cut the other into wedges.
    Just before serving, stir the lemon juice of one lemon into the soup.
    Serve the soup hot with a lemon slice and have extra lemon wedges at the table.

Notes

  • The soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
  • You can stir into the soup the baby spinach as is or chopped.
  • Substitute fresh baby spinach with frozen. Thaw it out and pat dry with a kitchen towel to remove most moisture.
  • Another green you can add to the soup is kale instead of baby spinach. Use the same amount of kale as you would spinach, similar cut, but add it to the soup with the lentils and broth at the beginning of the cooking time, rather than the last bit of the cooking, as you would with spinach.
  • Butternut squash is a great substitute for sweet potatoes.
  • Fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, or sage leaves are optional; you can swap them with dried versions or omit them from the recipe.
 
Serving suggestions
This lentil and spinach soup is vegan. It goes well next to warm crusty bread, olives and a Greek fava dip. However, you can fry some chopped bacon or pancetta and sprinkle it on top as well as some shaved parmesan. We grill a few sausages cut them up, and add them to the soup for a heartier version. Garlic croutons or grilled pita bread and sprinkle some feta go well on top. You can be creative and play around with the toppings of your liking. 
 
Nutritional Info – Please remember the nutritional information provided is only an estimate and can vary based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 1247mg | Potassium: 1095mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 12082IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 5mg