Oven-Baked Lentil Soup with Greens is that feel good, warm and cuddly type of soup that you to enjoy just when it starts getting cool outside. It’s been too hot to make soup all summer and on the first cool day this is my go-to soup, Oven-Baked Lentil Soup with Greens. Not to mention it’s super easy to make and really doesn’t take much time.
A little chopping but not much
The hardest part is probably chopping the carrots and the celery. After that just pop everything into a pot and put it in a 350 ° oven. I get nervous when I’m cooking lentils because I’m concerned that they’re going to either get overdone and mushy or be underdone and crunchy. Picking the right lentil is important. When using a method like this, I always make sure I get whole lentils rather than split lentils. Split lentils will cook a lot faster and can get mushy pretty quick. They do not have the outside casing basically to keep them together. It is best to use whole lentils. Green or brown is fine.
This recipe also calls for split yellow peas but I am sure you could use like green peas if you choose. One of the things I noticed with this recipe is the peas really do take quite a while. Your lentils will cook before your peas do so those are the ones you really want to watch. You don’t need to soak. Just make sure you rinse them first. Give the Lentil Soup a taste after the hour and if it needs more time let it cook.
How long to cook it?
Sometimes an hour is not enough. I have continued to cook it as much is 30 more minutes in the oven. The type of pot, the temperature of your oven and other factors can all play into the length of time needed for it to cook through. The first time I made it I got so excited to wilt in my green I put them in before tasting the peas and lentils. I then had to put it back in the oven with the greens already in the soup. The greens tasted fine but I lost that vibrant beautiful color and the nutrition that comes with greens that are not overcooked.
Either way this oven-baked lentil soup with greens is a delicious soup that you can use as a base and add all kinds of different ingredients if you choose. A little chopped potato, more carrots, less celery, or more celery and less carrots. Make it your own. You can also play with the spices. I have a Garam Masala that imparts a lovely Mediterranean flavor to this dish and I will add that occasionally. Adding a little cinnamon or garlic won’t hurt either. I’m presenting hear the recipe here in its truest form.
I first found this recipe in a vitamin magazine that I subscribe to. Since then I’ve noticed it’s online in a couple different places like Garden and Gun and some others. It’s a tried and true favorite.
Give this warm and hearty soup a try!
Optional additions
I am going to put some falafel on top of some leftover soup to see how that goes. You can serve it with some warm crusty bread or a nice Pita depending on your choice of grains and flours. Enjoy this delicious oven-baked lentil soup with family and friends. It may soon become one of your favorite go to soups as well.
Oven Baked Lentil Soup with Greens
Ingredients
- 8 cups Vegetable Broth
- 1 ½ cups Split peas, green or yellow
- 4 Carrots scrubbed, trimmed and chopped into bite size pieces
- 4 stalks Celery chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 Leek trimmed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 ½ tsp Ground Cumin
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 bunch Fresh greens like Kale or Spinach cleaned and sliced
- Chopped Herbs to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F or 180° C
- Put the stock or broth, dried peas and lentils, vegetables, bay leaves, cumin, salt and pepper into a large heavy casserole dish or Dutch Oven and stir to combine.
- Cover and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until the peas and lentils are tender.
- Remove from the oven and remove bay leaves.
- Stir in greens through hot soup just until greens are wilted.
- Garnish with herbs and serve.
- Hot crusty bread and butter on the side for soaking up all the last bit of goodness in the bowl.
Your Notes
Nutrition
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