French Lentil Soup Recipe

The French adore lentils! Judging by the way my husband's eyes light up when I say I am making my Lentil Soup, I know I have a winner. This French Lentil Soup recipe is surprisingly easy and quick to make. 10 minutes of prep time, 45 minutes of simmering time and you have a healthy, delicious & hearty meal in a bowl to enjoy throughout the week.

If you love soups, I invite you to join my Soup Sunday Challenge. Together, we make one pot of soup per week. I will be happy to share with you my Soup Recipes Ebook, including recipes such as:

Magical Leek Soup, French Onion Soup Gratinée and Potage aux Légumes

Meal Prep ideas

As a busy mom of 2, I am always looking for healthy meals that I can cook in big batches (you can read more about my batch cooking here). I like to portion my soups out into individual meal sized storage containers. Half the containers go in the fridge to be eaten through the week, the other half go in the freezer to be pulled out when I am in a pinch. I love shopping my freezer for my homemade meals and this French Lentil Soup is one of my go-to's. It freezes beautifully and can either be served on its own as a soup or as a side to grilled sausages. "Saucisses et Lentils" is a classic bistro dish in France.

On a recent "date night" with Le Chef, we set a table for 2, played some Charles Aznavour ballads, opened a bottle of red wine and enjoyed a simple meal of sausages and lentils. It "almost" felt like we were in Lyon...

Ready to start cooking? On y va!

French Lentil Soup Recipe:

Equipment Needed:

1 Stockpot ( I used my smaller Le Creuset Stock pot for this recipe)

Chef's Knife ( This is the Wusthof Chef's Knife we have in our kitchen, )

French Lentil Soup Ingredients:

• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
• 4 oz Pancetta or lardons ( I have also chopped up 4 slices of bacon for this recipe if I didn't have pancetta)
• 2 cups French green lentils (also known as Lentils du Puy)
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped in small pieces
• 1 bouillon cube (I like beef flavor for this recipe, but chicken works very well too)
• 1 bouquet garni (1 sprig of rosemary, 2 sprigs of thyme, 1 bay leaf tied together with some cooking string). 2 teaspoons of Herbes de Provence would also work well as a substitute if you don't have fresh herbs.
• 8 cups of water

Instructions:

• Place a stock pot on medium high heat - no need to add olive oil.
• Add the pancetta and sear until the meat begins to lightly brown.
• Add the chopped garlic and yellow onion while stirring.
• Throw in the bouquet garni (by now your kitchen should smell amazing!!)
• Rinse the lentils using a fine strainer.
• When the onions become translucent, add in the carrots, the lentils and 8 cups of water.
• Once soup has heated to a soft boil, add in the bouillon cube. Give a good stir.
• Bring the heat down to a gentle simmer. Cover partially and let the soup simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water, 1 cup at a time, if you need to.
• After 45 minutes it is time to taste test! Because of the saltiness of the pancetta and the bouillon cube, I don't find that this recipe needs salt, but feel free to add some if you wish.
• Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil or fresh grated parmesan cheese. Delicious with a fresh baked baguette, of course!

Bon Appétit!

Let me know if you also try the Magical Leek Soup - I love to hear from you!

About Le Chef's Wife

Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.

I share our home cooking on Instagram, pinterest and tiktok. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to receive my new recipes and have advance access to cooking classes. I look forward to cooking with you!

Au plaisir,

Le Chef's Wife

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