Easy Lentil Potato Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do I have to cook lentils before adding to soup? ›

Do you cook lentils before adding to soup? Nope! Dried lentils cook in 35 minutes in the soup, and there's no need to soak them either!

Yes, you can overcook lentils; they will become mushy. Much depends on the type of lentil you're using. Some cook quicker and hold their shape better than others. To avoid overcooking them, always follow the cooking directions in your recipe and use the type of lentils called for in the ingredient list.

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.

Lentils do not have an expiry date. But they tend to harden as they age. If they are too old, they'll take forever to cook. Try buying the freshest lot.

While it seems like an unnecessary step, don't skip rinsing your lentils and sifting through them before cooking to remove any stones or debris. It is rare to find stones, but it does happen.

Soaking: Unlike beans, lentils are small and cook relatively quick (in general, about 20-30 minutes) so they don't require pre-soaking. However, soaking lentils for a few hours or overnight may improve the digestibility of starches in lentils and an overnight soak can also reduce cooking time by about half.

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.

If you don't have stock on hand, add onion, carrots, celery, garlic cloves and/or herbs to the pot. All of these are mild flavors that can jump in any direction depending on how you're going to use the cooked lentils.

The beauty of lentils is that they are a completely blank slate — they can take on any flavor you throw at them. That also means if you don't give them any flavor, well, they will taste pretty bland. Add aromatics to the water or, even better, use chicken or vegetable stock instead of water.

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.

How do you fix bland lentil soup? ›

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.

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.

For whole lentils, cook time is typically 15-20 minutes. For split red lentils, cook time is typically only about 5-7 minutes. Be sure to season with salt after cooking – if salt is added before, the lentils will become tough.

the color change you've observed is from oxidation. If you want to prevent this, lay some plastic wrap over the surface of your lentils to prevent air from getting to them, or add some acid, like lime juice, to the recipe.

Lentils should always be consumed well-cooked as when raw or undercooked they can cause serious health problems, food poisoning and, in very extreme cases, even death. It's all because they contain natural compounds called lectins which are toxic but fortunately, cooking destroys them!

Nope! Unlike lots of other dried pulses (such as some dried beans), lentils don't need to be soaked before cooking. This means they're really quick and easy to use – you can decide you want to cook lentils when you're already ready to start cooking, and they can be ready to eat not long after.

In addition, undercooked lentils stay with lectin, an ingredient that may cause stomach problems like diarrhea or even food poisoning.

Lentils are cooked as soon as they are tender and no longer crunchy. Older lentils may take longer to cook and shed their outer skins as they cook. Strain the lentils and remove the bay leaf, if used. Return the lentils to the pan and stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Editor: First, I wonder how old your lentils are. If they're more than a year or two old, they will often stay crunchy in the middle no matter how long you cook them! Another trick is to wait to add salt or acidic ingredients until near the end of cooking. Take a look at our post on cooking lentils for some more help!