Lentil Soup I

I don't usually give recipes 5 stars if I tweaked it, but this was just so good that I'm giving in on this one. I had no celery (don't like it anyway), so I skipped it and added an extra carrot. I also didn't have any chicken bullion or vegetable stock, so I just added extra water and extra pepper as well. Then after it was all done and mixed up together, I added a small can of evaporated milk. The combination of the cloves and pepper was delicious. This was fast (I put the lentils, carrots, and onion all together at once, then cooked the potatoes separately) and easy and already look forward to the leftovers.

Like everyone else, I had to add tons more water during cooking, and it was done in about half the estimated time. Also, I halved this recipe for the two of us thinking there would be leftovers for another meal, but it made BARELY 3 servings. Next time I will make the entire batch to get 2 meals. I used a generous sprinkling of dried minced onion. The soup was thick and flavorful, I would definitely recommend trying it - just be sure to watch the water closely!

This was a very tasty lentil soup- just a few adjustements. 1/2 of an onion, double the water to 8 cups, and I just left the potatoes in and never mashed them. It tasted great! Next time, I think I will leave out the carrots and add an extra stalk of celery.

awesome. I changed it just a little I added an onion. used 4 cups of chicken broth, and 4 cups of water. I did not mash the potatoes just diced them. I threw eveything into the pot all at once. very delicous a keeper.

While not a pretty soup, was very tasty and satisfying. I have never put mashed potatoes in a soup before, but I thought it was a great addition. I added an onion and 2 cloves of garlic, and used a small amount of powdered cloves instead of whole cloves.

This soup was AMAZING. I've been looking for a good lentil soup recipe for a long time, and I've finally found it. I omitted the celery and added two tablespoons of minced onion. It turned out wonderfully.

This was good, though I didn't follow it exactly. I didn't have any carrots, so I upped the celery and added onion and garlic. I also added a tablespoon of yellow curry powder and used vegetable broth. I found that I had to add a lot of water to the lentils as they cooked. I also didn't have real potatoes, so I ended up adding some potato flakes to thicken up the soup a bit. At the end I added a splash of balsamic vinegar. I would reccomend some parmesan cheese and maybe some spinach added to this, but overall it was good. My husband and my 3 year old also liked it.

I was very pleased with the way this turned out! I ran across this recipe as I used the "ingredient search" tool. I was out of onions, but wanted to use the bag of lentils I had. (I couldn't imagine a good lentil soup recipe without onions!) As it turns out, my husband had to go to the hardware store while I was cooking so he was nice enough to pick up some onions, which were a wonderful addition. (I had planned on using onion powder for flavoring.) I will definately agree with the other reviews...it needed a lot more water. Just keep you eye on it and add as needed. I also added a bay leaf for seasoning and a shake of garam masala. I was a bit wary of adding mashed potatoes...but I used about 4 small red ones. It was great! I will definately make this again and again. YUM!

I never made or ate lentil soup but my husband wanted it so i used this recipe. I thought it tasted wonderful but never had eaten it before-i didnt know how it was supposed to taste. So i had my husband try it because he has no problem telling me his honest opinion. He loved it and said he wouldnt change a thing. I did have to add a few more cups of water as it was cooking but other than that-I wouldnt change a thing.

This was a pleasant experience for my first taste of lentil soup. I knew they were good for me but was never brave to try them. I used 1.5 cups veggie broth instead of chicken broth and 6.5 cups of water after reading the reviews. I also used a cup of diced yams since I was all out of potatoes--it was great with the yams! I did kind of combine this recipe with Lentil Soup III by Molly and added cumin instead of cloves (I'm not a fan of cloves) and 1/8 c. of tomato paste. I think I'll try it with cloves to see what it's like next time. Oh, and once the lentils started boiling, I add the rest of the ingredients and didn't mash the yams--the soup cooked in plenty of time--next time I'll used leftover mashed potatoes.

Everyone asked for more. I used chicken stock instead of water and boillion. I did not use cloves.

Oops, the ingredients list apparently left out the onions. I chopped a half and added it-- quite a tastey soup, especially for lentil-lovers. Agreed with the previous reviewer that it is very thick, even after doubling the water.

The first time I made this, it burnt on the bottom of the pan - 4 cups of water was just not enough. The second time, I did a better job of monitoring the progress, and added water at times. It still turned out very thick (which was okay with us). I also omitted the celery, and I think I may omit the carrot next time too. The taste of the soup, when done (and not burned) was great!

A wonderful lentil soup recipe! I agree with other reviewers that more liquid is needed. The second time I made it I added 3 cups of chicken stock and 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika and my family loved it!

I loved it. The only thing I added was bay leaves.

This soup was exactly what I imagined. DELICIOUS. I did have to add about 3 extra cups of water. I also added a 1/2 c finely chopped onion along with some garlic powder and onion powder. I used potato flakes since I had no potatoes on hand (about a 1/4 c) I used just a dash or two of powdered cloves intead of whole. All in all, I think this soup came out amazing. Nice texture, thick, and very hearty. Think I'll leave the clove out next time and use a little more garlic (I'm a garlic lover). Will be making this again for sure!

DON'T add more water. I don't know why people think you needed it. It will seem like you're running low as you're going, but in the end, the consistency will be perfect. I only made one change which was adding the potatoes as soon as the lentils started boiling. I didn't want the lentils to be overcooked (although they were anyways!). Great recipe. Otherwise I followed the recipe to a T. LOVE the mashed potatoes in it.

Really tasty. Really ugly! :)

I love lentils but my husband never ate them until we got married. This is one of the few lentil dishes he really likes. The bonus is that my kids (ages 3, 5, 9 & 13) all really like it too. This last time I made it, I didn't have any celery so added onions and more carrots. I also added 4 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled, and a no-salt seasoning blend. Very good!

I thought this soup had a good blend of flavors and kind of a unique taste. I only had one type of lentil so I used that and then added extra water and a few sprinkles of garam masala.

I did not add pasta because I did not have any, however I will try again with pasta! My family loved this recipe. I used spicy sausage but it is flavorful enought to use regular sausage. I will definately keep this recipe.

The recipe left out the ingredient of onion and mentioned it in the instructions. I added half of a chopped onion. I did need more water as others stated. The combination of the mashed potatoes with the lentils made this a very thick soup, so it would be up to your own preference as to how thick you want it. Also, I felt I should've cooked the potatoes separately because my lentils were already done cooking by the time the potatoes were tender. I left out the salt. You might want to taste test when adding the chicken bullion and add gradually. Overall, it was a decent and thick soup.

This was a very good and very easy recipe. Like other reviewers mentioned, youo do need to continue to add water. I think I added about three extra cups by the time it was all finished, along with a little more boullion powder. I thought it was very good, but my nieces wouldn't touch it because they said it was ugly.

Very nice on a cold night to fill the belly and keep your family warm. We all liked it, I like everyone else added broth and a little more water while cooking. It gets 5 stars in my house!

i added mushroom, a few more spices twice the water and accidentally (don't ask) a can of vegetarian baked beans. i left everything "whole," but cooked it long enough to mash on its own. it turned out awesome. i'll certainly make it again.

My husband said this dish was one of the best ones I ever made! He always says that my dishes need more seasoning, but he loved the flavor of this soup! I also had to add extra water and it took a little time to simmer, but it was worth it!

Absolutely awesome!!!! I used the brown lentils, no cloves and I didn't have time to fine chop anything, I just did a rough chop. I added a clove of garlic and tiny, simple dumplins, wow!!! I will double the recipe from now on. This is just too delicious. Thanks for a great, healthy recipe! You will need to add more water.

Good soup. Right, onions aren't on the ingredient list but in the directions. That's okay, think we figure it out just fine. I doubled up on the carrots and celery, because we like them. I only had brown lentils. I did not have cloves. Curious about what flavor that would add. I did need to add water, 10 cups total. My only question was if I was to cover the pot? I did for a while and then took the lid off in the end. Yes, I would make it again. Love that it is low in calories, cholesterol and fat! Thank you William!

Hi. I tried the soup today. Very good. I did add the 1/2 cup chopped onion as suggested. I also used 8 cups chicken broth. This was a little thin so next time I will use 6 cups. Plus I like shortcuts so I put everything but the potatoes in at the beginning and it was ready in about 30 minutes. I then added left over mashed potatoes from the night before. Next time I will try a little ground sausage.

Oops, forgot to rinse lentils ahead of time but didn't seem to make a difference. Used 1 1/2 cups of brown lentils to 10 cups water (couldn't find red lentils). When lentils were relatively soft, added the potatoes and soon after the small onion (onion is not listed in the ingredients), carrot and celery. Did not use bullion cubes but added garlic salt to taste. Mashed the potatoes and a small amount of the lentils which added bulk to the soup. Also added some garlic to the soup though next time will add it earlier. Did not pay attention to time, just went by taste and feel. Did not take that long to make. Will make again. Was very good but only rated it four stars because I made a lot of changes.

Used everything except cloves (which I did not have) and potatoes (because I was going for lower carbs). Added a little firm tofu, 1/4 tsp of both dried parsley and basil. It was also good spiced up post cooking with Tabasco or a couple slices of kimchi.

Love it! I add more carrots and more potatoes but it is delicious

I really enjoyed this recipe! As a college student, I don't have much time to cook. The flavors blended together perfectly. I used 8 total cups of water. 4 cups were broth and 4 cups were water. I also added some curry and garlic for extra flavor. Was very filling and I'm so excited to have leftovers tomorrow!

like others have said... double the water and I also didn't mash the potatoes. just boiled it all in a pot. so good. I added cilantro to mine :3

Yes, I made changes....added broccoli, green beans, cayenne, Braggs amino acid, and about 4-5 extra cups of water/ stock, and it still came out thick. I only cooked it 10 -15 min here and there , not 30 like it said. I didn't cut the recipe in 1/2 like I normally do. It didn't make as much as it said.

I liked the concept, but mine turned out very thick, like mashed potatoes with some lentils thrown in. Also, the color was not very appetizing, kind of a greyish-brown.

Made a mistake and used ground cloves ( 3/4 teaspoon) and left it in. I loved it. Thank you William.

This soup was very bland ! I am very happy with my go to lentil soup recipes. I picked this recipe, this time, because I only had a handful of brown and red lentils left and this recipe calls for a mixture of both. I started by sautéing some chopped anion. I simplifyed the dirrections by dicing all the veggies and adding them along with the lentils , spices and broth to the onions. I simmered for 30 minutes. The soup was too thick for me, so I added a cup of water at the end. If I ever make this soup again I will be adding some garlic, bay leaf, some cumin and at the end of cooking, some lemon juice or vinegar and some chopped parsley..

I liked the idea behind it but I did make several changes to suit my tastes. First of all, I prefer red lentils and only used them because I don't like the looks of brown lentils, so I put in 1 cup of red lentils. I started boiling the red lentils with the seasonings right away, minus the cloves and pepper. I then cut up 5 carrots because I didn't have any celery on hand. I also cut up a small onion. When I cut up the potatoe I made very small pieces. and added them and didn't bother mashing them. I added all of the root vegetables to the red lentil pot and let them boil for 45 minutes. And then because we like things a little creamier in our house, I heated up 1/4 cup milk, 2 TBSP margarine, melted them together and then added 1/8 c of flour and mixed it all together to make a little white gravy. I poured that into the pot when all of the vegetables were soft, about 25 minutes. It just made it a little creamier. It turned out great!!!

Made this today. It is easy and tastes really good. I liked it with a whole large onion chopped and I did add 3-4 cups more water, but did so after adding carrots, onions, celery and the mashed potatoes. BTW, I cooked the potatoes in a separate pan and mashed them in that pan, then added them. I found the directions strange on this aspect. Also, the onions are left out of the ingredient list.

Like other reviewers, I loved this recipe but since I changed it, I only gave it 4 stars. This recipe can be simplified quite a bit by just throwing all of the ingredients in at the beginning. I cut the potatoes in bite size pieces and didn't mash them. I didn't have any celery, so I just added a bit more carrot and some dried onion flakes. And since I only had 1 T. of chicken bouillon so I added some garlic powder. Oh, and I used about 6 cups of water. Brought it to a boil, then simmered uncovered for about 25-30 minutes. I served it with some freshly baked multigrain bread. Reminded me of stew. Loved the addition of the clove flavor. Thanks for the great recipe!