French Lentil Soup

This French lentil soup is the cosiest veggie soup you've ever had. You only need a handful of ingredients to make a hearty and healthy soup that's packed full of vitamins and fibre. And have I mentioned the flavours are absolutely amazing?

We're massive fans of lentils in our home, and I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate them into our meals. This lentil and chickpea curry is one of the most popular recipes on Skinny Spatula, and you can find dozens of other lentil recipes on the site if you love them.

This French lentil soup is something else, though. It has so much flavour and just the perfect texture that it's impossible not to become a family favourite.

Puy lentils are key to nailing the texture and flavour of this soup. Originating from the Le Puy region in France, puy lentils have a particularly earthy, slightly peppery flavour that's just perfect for veggie soups and stews.

Moreover, Puy lentils hold their shape better than most other types of lentils when cooked. They are just the perfect choice if you don't like mushy lentils in your soup.

Why you'll love this French lentil soup

• It's incredibly flavourful. The aroma of fresh thyme and garlic pairs perfectly with the veggies and hearty lentils to make a super flavourful soup.
• It has an amazing texture. I personally love texture in my soups, and if you're the same, this is a dream soup. You can choose to blend half of it to make it creamier, but the soup has just the perfect texture as is.
• It's super versatile. This is a naturally vegan lentil soup, but you can easily customize it as you wish. You can make it with bacon or sausage or serve it with freshly grated Parmesan on top. The choice is yours!

What goes into this puy lentils soup?

Olive oil — Extra quality virgin olive oil is a must for French lentil soup. You'll need about two tablespoons to saute the veggies in, plus extra for drizzling over individual bowls before serving if you like.

Onions — Yellow or white onions are both great in this soup.

Leeks — You only need the white and light green part of leeks in this soup.

Carrot, celery and parsnip — Dice these veggies on the smaller size so they cook quickly.

Garlic — Only use freshly chopped garlic in this French lentil soup to get the best flavour.

Fresh thyme — Don't substitute fresh thyme with the dried version if possible because you'll be missing out on some pretty amazing flavours.

Puy lentils — You can use another type of green lentils if you can't find Puy lentils in the supermarket.

This recipe also works well with brown lentils. I don't recommend canned lentils for this soup because the texture will simply not be the same.

Dry red wine — This is optional but highly recommended because the wine adds depth to the flavours of lentil soup. If you don't cook with wine, you can substitute it with red wine vinegar.

Vegetable stock — Homemade or shop-bought vegetable stock are both ok for this soup. Use the best quality you can for the best flavour.

How to make vegan French lentil soup

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven and sauté the onions over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until translucent.

Add the leeks, carrot, celery and parsnip and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the veggies have softened, add the garlic and fresh thyme and continue to cook for another minute until fragrant.

Add the lentils, red wine, bay leaves and vegetable stock and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are tender.

Stir in the fresh parsley, season to taste and serve with your favourite crusty bread, topped with extra fresh parsley and a dash of olive oil if you like.

Leftovers and storage

• French lentil soup keeps well in the fridge for 3-5 days in an airtight container. It actually tastes even better the next day as the flavours have more time to develop.
• Reheat the soup on the stove or in the microwave. Add a bit more stock if it looks too thick.
• This soup is suitable for freezing, and it will keep for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool completely before freezing it in freezer-safe containers. Alternatively, you can use Ziploc bags to freeze the soup in individual portions.

Recipe notes and tips

• If you're not a vegan, you can add some bacon or Toulouse-style sausage to this French lentil soup. Simply fry the bacon or crumbled sausage in olive oil for a couple of minutes before adding the onion.
• Add some lemon juice right at the end for an extra touch of brightness.
• If you want to make your French green lentil soup a bit spicy, add ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper with the garlic and thyme.

If you liked this French lentil soup recipe, you might also like some of my other easy vegan soups:

• Vegetable Stelline Soup
• Vegan Lemon Rice Soup
• Easy Barley Soup with Vegetables
• Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
• Greek Chickpea Soup with Lemon (Revithia)

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