Italian Lentil Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my lentil soup tasteless? ›

Why does my lentil soup taste bland? Lentils have a relatively mild taste and take well to seasonings. To avoid a bland lentil soup, use a flavorful broth—whether that's homemade or store-bought chicken or vegetable broth. The other key is building flavor.

The other good news: Lentils don't need to soak as beans do (though you do need to sort and rinse them before cooking). Different types of lentils cook in different amounts of time. Red lentils are the fastest cooking and they dissolve as they cook and make for a smooth soup.

Cook It Longer

Sometimes soup just needs to simmer longer to reach the perfect consistency. Check to see if the vegetables are tender, and then taste the broth. If the soup tastes a bit watery, give it more time.

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

Think more like you're cooking pasta- you just need significantly more water than lentils. You can also use broth instead of adding an extra layer of flavor. I like adding a bay leaf, an onion cut in half, and a clove of garlic to add flavor to the lentils.

Since lentils are starchy, earthy in flavor, and can be on the bland side, there are many ways to make them flavorful, including by adding them into soup. When other ingredients are introduced that complement lentils like onions, garlic, spices, and lemon, the taste is out of this world.

This time, it turned out mushy and there wasn't a whole lentil to be found. Damn it! I figured out later that it spent about 2.5 hours too long in the slow cooker (a little miscalculation on my part). If you're like me and have overcooked Lentil Soup then you're in luck because I'm going to show you how to revive it.

I recommend using green or French green lentils because they hold their shape in the soup, adding satisfying texture. Brown lentils are also a fine option.

It is generally recommended to rinse lentils before cooking them to remove any debris or impurities [1]. However, forgetting to rinse them before adding them to your soup does not necessarily mean that the meal is unsafe to eat.

That means the foam will typically appear when making meat-based broths and, to a lesser degree, soups made from high-protein vegetables such as chickpeas and lentils. When those coagulated proteins cluster together, they can create air pockets, which is what causes the “sudsy bubbles,” says Trout.

What are the white strands in lentil soup? ›

Those look to be radicles (embryonic stems, the part the root grows from) that have separated from the lentils. If you look closely at the less squished lentils in your soup, you'll probably see some with the radicles still attached.

Soup can become acidic due to a variety of factors such as using acidic ingredients like tomatoes, vinegar, or lemon juice, overcooking certain vegetables, or adding too much of ingredients like wine or citrus. It can also be caused by fermentation or spoilage of soup over time.

You can thicken lentils by simmering it a little more or adding a table spoon of cream ( malai) into it…. Rinse the lentils, put them in a pot with enough water to cover by about an inch, bring them to a boil, and reduce the heat to simmer.

Make sure to not overcook the lentils, or else they will become extremely mushy. That will not affect the taste of this yummy soup, but the mushy lentils thicken the soup and give it a different, less pleasant consistency.

Here are some of the reasons why you should include lentil soup in your diet. Lentils are high in protein, which is essential for building and maintaining your muscles, bones, and skin. Protein also helps you feel full and satisfied, which can support weight loss and appetite control.

If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl. Our Lemony Chicken Soup will make your mouth water.

The simple answer: you cooked them too long. Lentils are actually quite difficult to get right.

Use fresh, good quality ingredients like vegetables and herbs. Add a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice to your soup to make it taste better. Use a high-quality broth or stock as a base for your soup. Roast or caramelize your vegetables before adding them to your soup to bring out their natural sweetness.

Ensure you've added enough salt and black pepper. Too little salt means your soup's flavours' will remain hidden. When you know your soup is salty enough, move on to other seasonings like herbs and spices.