Name: Greek Lentil & Spinach Soup With Lemon
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1 pound brown or large green lentils, rinsed and picked over; 10 cups vegetable broth or water; 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped; 2 tsp. whole coriander seeds; 1 and 1/2 tsp. ground cumin; 1 tsp. ground turmeric; 2 and 1/2 tsp. dried oregano; 2 bay leaves; 2 medium potatoes (1 and 1/4 lbs.), scrubbed and diced into 1/2-inch cubes; 10 ounces baby spinach, chopped; 3 cups peeled, seeded and diced butternut squash (1/2-inch cubes); 2 tbsp. olive oil; 1 large onion, chopped (red or yellow); 2 ribs celery, chopped; 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 tsp. salt; Ground fresh pepper to taste; 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice; 2 lemons

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This flavourful, satisfying soup is vegan, gluten-free and low fat. A simple recipe with basic ingredients. Don't let the simplicity fool you! This soup is delicious!

Serve this soup with a slice of whole grain bread and you've got dinner on the table!

Close up image of Greek Lentil & Spinach Soup with Lemon with sliced lemon on the side in a white bowl.

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YOU'LL LOVE THIS SOUP!
INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
INSTRUCTIONS
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS
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Recipe

This is officially my new favourite soup recipe!! If you don't want to read the 'story', slide down to the bottom of this page for the quick recipe.

I feel like I really needed to share this story - and this recipe!

Hubby, Tim was browsing Twitter as I was in the kitchen cleaning up one of my many messes. "There's a recipe here for Lentil Soup, and there's a nurse who loved it so much he ate it every day for lunch.... for 17 years"

Wow - 17 years - what makes a soup THAT GOOD?

A few days passed and the soup recipe kept popping into my mind. I felt like the universe was telling me to make this soup!

I discovered that the original recipe came from Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread by Crescent Dragonwagon. Workman Publishing, 1992 and the post on Twitter is from The Washington Post.

The first time I made this recipe, we all loved it. The layers of flavour and how filling and satisfying and healthy this soup is makes this recipe a keeper.

I made this recipe four or five times back-to-back. We couldn't seem to get enough of it. It's easy to understand how someone could enjoy it day after day. 🙂

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! P.S. The lemon wedge with each serving is a must!

YOU'LL LOVE THIS SOUP!

it's filled with delicious, healthy ingredients. Lentils, butternut squash, onions, spinach, potatoes and more!
this is an easy recipe that requires no fancy equipment.
a quick and easy recipe that can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days - great for meal prep!

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Ingredients needed for this recipe with text overlay.

SPINACH - I try to use fresh spinach when I can, but find it really handy to have frozen spinach in the freezer. You can use either in this recipe.
LEMONS/LEMON JUICE - For this recipe, you'll definitely want to use fresh lemons and not the bottled lemon juice.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH/POTATOES - If you are using newer potatoes with a thin skin, then leave the skin on for the added nutrition and flavour. If the skins are thicker, you will definitely want to peel them.
TURMERIC - I added 1 tsp. of ground turmeric to this recipe with great results.
ONIONS - You can use red, yellow or sweet onions in this recipe. I tested all three and prefer the red onions but they all work.

INSTRUCTIONS

Ingredients for first step of soup recipe with ingredients in a large soup pot with wooden spoon.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, combine lentils, vegetable broth (or water), jalapeño pepper, coriander seeds, cumin, turmeric, oregano and bay leaves.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered for 30 minutes. Test the lentils as they should be soft after 30 minutes.

Butternut squash is cubed and added to the pot of soup.

Add in the cubed butternut squash.

Potatoes being added to the pot of soup.

Add in the potatoes

Next, add in the fresh or frozen spinach.

Cook over low heat another 15-20 minutes. Potato and squash should be soft but not mushy!

Garlic, red onion and delivery in a small skillet with a wooden spoon.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat olive oil. Cook onion, celery and garlic over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until softened , then add it to the soup.

Add ½ cup of water to the skillet to deglaze and add this liquid to the soup. (swirl it around to get all of that good essence and flavour) - YUM!

Add in salt & pepper and taste - add more if desired.

Add in ⅓ cup of lemon juice and stir slowly until combined.

I tasted the soup before and after the lemon was added and the lemon adds a whole other layer of flavour.

Serve with lemon wedges for each serving.

Close up image of soup in the pot when it is done.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS

Soup can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat on stovetop over low heat, or in the microwave until hot.

Close up image of Greek Lentil & Spinach Soup with Lemon.

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Recipe

Greek Lentil & Spinach Soup With Lemon

Print Recipe

Aromatic, hearty, and delicious, this soup is satisfying enough as a main course when served with a slice of whole grain bread.

Author: Sandra Flegg
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 12 servings.
Category: Soup
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Greek
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

1 pound brown or large green lentils, rinsed and picked over

10 cups vegetable broth or water

1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped

2 tsp. whole coriander seeds

1 and ½ tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground turmeric

2 and ½ tsp. dried oregano

2 bay leaves

2 medium potatoes (1 and ¼ lbs.), scrubbed and diced into ½-inch cubes

10 ounces baby spinach, chopped

3 cups peeled, seeded and diced butternut squash (½-inch cubes)

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (red or yellow)

2 ribs celery, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp. salt

Ground fresh pepper to taste

⅓ cup fresh lemon juice

2 lemons

Instructions

Rinse lentils and remove any skins or discoloured lentils.
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, combine lentils, vegetable broth (or water), jalapeño pepper, coriander seeds, cumin, turmeric, oregano and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered for 30 minutes. Test the lentils as they should be soft after 30 minutes.
Add the butternut squash, potatoes and spinach and cook over low heat another 15-20 minutes. (Cooking too high will result in the vegetables to be mushy).
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat olive oil. Cook onion, celery and garlic over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until softened.
Add the onion mixture to the soup and stir it into the soup.
Add ½ cup of water to the skillet to deglaze and add this liquid to the soup. (swirl it around to get all of that good essence and flavour)
Add in salt and pepper and test for flavour.
Add in ⅓ cup lemon juice and stir well to combine. (Don't skip this step! It literally takes this soup from great to amazing)!
Serve with lemon wedges. A fresh squeeze of lemon to taste in each serving is absolutely delightful.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 and ½ cups
Calories: 108
Sugar: 6.1 g
Sodium: 694.4 mg
Fat: 2.9 g
Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 21.1 g
Fiber: 3.9 g
Protein: 2.6 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: Lentils, soup, Greek cuisine, mediterranean

The recipe was adapted from Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread by Crescent Dragonwagon. Workman Publishing, 1992.