Mexican Lentil Soup, known as Sopa de Lentejas in its home country, is a hearty and filling soup loaded with veggies and warm seasonings.
Along with Pozole Rojo and Caldo de Pollo, it’s one of our favorite Mexican soups.
What is Sopa de Lentejas
Sopa de Lentejas is the Latin American version of lentil soup, and can be found from Mexico all the way down to Argentina and Chile.
It starts with aromatic vegetables for a flavor base, and can also include other ingredients like meat (typically sausage), potatoes or greens.
It is a hearty, nutritious, and budget friendly meal that can be enjoyed all year long, but is especially great in wintertime.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil – For sautéing. You can also use other neutral cooking oils like canola or vegetable.
- Fresh vegetables – Onion, carrots, celery, and bell peppers.
- Garlic – I can’t cook without it.
- Lentils – Today we’re using brown, but green work as well. Rinse and sort them before use, no need to soak.
- Canned tomatoes – We used diced in this recipe.
- Seasonings – Cumin, paprika, and oregano (use Mexican oregano if you have it on hand).
- Broth – For a completely vegetarian soup, use vegetable. Otherwise, chicken broth gives a bit more punch of flavor.
How to Make Mexican Lentil Soup
Sauté the vegetables in a large soup pot or Dutch oven until soft.
Stir in lentils, diced tomatoes, cumin, paprika, and oregano. Cook for a minute or two.
Add in the chicken broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low, and cook until lentils are soft, about 25 minutes.
Variations
- If you wish to have some meat in your soup, brown up some ground beef (about 1 pound) or chorizo (8 ounces) at the beginning of the recipe.
- Sometimes we like to add a green element at the end. Stir in some spinach or kale in the last few minutes for a nutritious boost.
- To bulk it up, you can add in potatoes. I would recommend Yukon gold.
Leftovers and Storage
Split pea soup refrigerates well for 3-4 days. First, allow it to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container for refrigeration.
It can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Just thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
Reheat the soup in a pan on stovetop over medium heat until heated through. Note that it will have thickened up, so you may wish to add some water to thin it out.
If you try this Mexican lentil soup, please leave a star rating and comment, we love to hear from you.
Sopa de Lentejas, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great soups!
Portuguese Bean Soup
Chicken Pastina Soup
Finnish Salmon Soup
Caldo de Res
Harira
Birria Ramen
Yakamein
Sancocho
Sopa de Lentejas (Mexican Lentil Soup)
Our Mexican Lentil Soup is a hearty and filling meatless dinner option. It's packed with veggies and perfectly seasoned.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups dried lentils, rinsed and sorted
- 14oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 7 cups vegetable or chicken broth
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, celery, and bell peppers. Sauté until they begin to soften, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in lentils, tomatoes, cumin, paprika, and oregano. Cook for a minute or two.
- Add broth and bay leaves, combine well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes, or until lentils are soft.
Notes
- Lentils do not require soaking.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 225Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 1mgSodium 247mgCarbohydrates 38gFiber 13gSugar 9gProtein 10g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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