My 10-year-old son loves riding his bike, video games, and lentil soup. Yes, you read that right – lentil soup. Once he came home from school, and he smelled a pot of Mexican Lentil Soup, or Sopa de Lentejas, cooking in the kitchen. His response, “Oh yeah! Lentil soup!” Who knew lentils would ever compete with chicken nuggets?!! No one makes this soup better than my mom though. Here is her recipe…
Make a big pot of lentils with lots of water and salt. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer until they are soft. Not “snuggly soft” – easy-to-chew soft.
In a separate stock pot, heat oil and carrots. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. I had carrots on hand. (The Hubs promised to make carrot juice but he wasn’t fast enough). That’s why they went into the pot.
Then add the onions. Cook for 1 minute or until they are translucent. Add garlic, tomato sauce, cooked lentils, and chicken broth. Lastly, stir and let everything simmer for 10 minutes. Your entire house will smell of this delicious and comforting Mexican Lentil Soup, or Sopa de Lentejas. The kind that makes you go … MMM!
My mom always served her Mexican Lentil Soup, or Sopa de Lentejas, with bolillo to soak up all the yummy juices from the bottom of the bowl and a few slices of bananas. No, I’m not monkeying around. Some people will even add cloves to their soup, but again, I’m giving you my mom’s recipe not theirs. For me, the spicy and saucy gal that I am, I stick to the P-word – Picante. I like to add a few slices of pickled jalapeños and steer clear of any monkey business. 🙂
- 1 lb. lentils
- Water
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- ½ onion (divided)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 6 cups chicken broth
- Bolillo (optional)
- Bananas (optional)
- pickled jalapeños (optional)
- In a large stockpot, add the lentils, water, bay leaves, salt, and ¼ onion.
- Cook until tender. About 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the carrots, dice the remaining onion, and finely mince the garlic.
- In a separate stockpot, heat the oil and add the carrot.
- Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the onion. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the garlic, tomato sauce, cooked lentils, and chicken broth.
- Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve with bolillo and bananas (if using).
- Enjoy!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Fabiola Rodriguez says
Hola, Maggie!
I have included a couple of your recipes and linked back to your site in my latest post, a Day of the Dead recipe roundup. I hope you can take a look. 🙂
https://myheartofmexico.wordpress.com/2017/10/26/blissful-mexican-recipes-to-celebrate-day-of-the-dead/
-Fabiola
Maggie Unzueta says
Gracias amiga. I’ll go and check it out. Thank you so much for all your support and social media love!
Ashton says
I was wondering, is it really 1 lbs of lentils? It just seems like a lot but I have not made the recipe yet! Thought it might suppose to be 1 cup?
Maggie Unzueta says
It’s a lentil package of 16-ounces, or 1 lb.
Ashton says
Thank you so much! The soup was delicious! I’m making it again tonight! I did add some ground red pepper for some spice and a bit of ground cinnamon.