Rice and Lentil Soup in a Jar

I've been trying out soup mixes to make for Christmas gifts- I made this one tonight and knew I'd found my winner. I used red lentils, but instead of the green ones I used split peas. Also, I added 2 Tbs. of dried chopped onion. If you don't have poultry seasoning, you can make your own (I did) using one tablespoon each of the following: sage, marjoram, rosemary, celery seed and thyme. Thank you so much for this recipe- OUTSTANDING! *UPDATE* Every time I make this, I add 1/3 c. barley and an extra cup of water to make up for the barley.

excellent! made for christmas gifts & got rave reviews - i think the key spice is the poultry seasoning - thank you!

Editor's Note: The rice ingredient was changed from "instant" to "converted" at the request of the recipe submitter.

The soup turned out into an excellent texture in the end. It is wise to simmer it for 30 minutes, as the sauce thickens and becomes a soupy texture. It was a bit spicy for my mom (who is usually okay on spices) so I would consider cutting down the pepper to a 1/3 tsp.

I made this as a present for the Holidays - I ended up doubling the amount of goods within the jar (by adding a second layer of the items) due to the fact I was using quart and not pint jars! Jars are now out of season and I didn't want to go out and search for pint jars. Looks like everyone is getting double the soup this year!

I can't find red lentils anywhere around here! I just used more green lentils in this soup as I was told they all taste the same. I considered using split peas as other reviewers mentioned however, wanted to try and stay close to the original recipe. I was worried about using instant rice in this since it only takes 5 minutes to cook and lentils take so much longer. It was fine but I think regular rice would have worked just as well. The flavor was good but I think it would be better with the optional chicken and celery. Overall, inexpensive, easy, good flavor, and very pretty gifts in a jar.

Came out very tasty. Didn't have any veggies, so this recipe was perfect. I used regular long grain rice (not instant) and threw in a 1/4 cup of pearl barley. Used ham instead of chicken (what I had). Didn't have poultry seasoning, so used cajun and a bay leaf instead. We loved it!!

Made it for dinner and it was delicious, hearty, and perfect for a rainy fall night. I did add a can of diced fire roasted tomatoes for color and additional flavor. Yummy!

I tested this on my family to see if the liked it enough for me to use as Christmas gifts to friends and family this year. They loved it and I will be giving this as a gift to lots of folks!!! I tweaked it a bit to my liking by adding 1/2 tsp thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 1/2 cup chopped carrots. I also reduced the bullion to 2 tsp since its overloaded with sodium and has msg, added 1 tsp. salt, reduced the pepper to 1/4 tsp., and increased the poultry seasoning to 2 tsp. Thanks for a fabulous recipe Kelly!

Easy to prepare and very tasty! My family, even my 2 year old loved this soup. I added dried peas in lieu of one of the lentils and diced some ham instead of chicken. I am going to pre-assemble these for my own pantry, makes a great quick meal.

What a hurt so good soup! I wanted to try this soup, but I had to go out for the day. So I put the ingredients into my crock pot. I did change some of the ingredients. Like I used two bouillon cubes, 2/3 cups of wild rice, 2/3 cup red lentils, 1/4 teaspoon of celery seeds (because I was out of celery), 1 (13 oz.) can of chicken breast, 1/2 cup barley, 1 (14.5 oz.) can of mecian style stewed tomatoes (crushed by hand), and 1 (4 oz.) can of diced green chili. The barley, and tomatoes came from other reviewers, and what a great added addition they were to this soup. When I was ready to eat I put a few drops of lime juice in, and my husband put lime juice and some smoke flavored chipotle tabasco sauce in his. This is a keeper! Thanks for the great lentil recipe that I was wanting.

This recipe is very easily converted to vegetarian. It's nice an hearty and warming...thanks

My sister makes this for Christmas gifts every year, and we love the easy recipe during the busy holidays. The top three reasons I rate this recipe with 5 stars: This is a very, very easy recipe. This is a very versatile recipe. You can make the mix straight from the jar or embellish it with chicken, turkey, veggies, etc. My sister has learned it's basically 1 part lentils to 1 part rice with the appropriate spice and bouillon. Then whatever size jar you use to to hold the mix, use 4-6 containers of liquid to make the soup (depending on consistency you want). She makes little jars in the left over bouillon jars for the couples and singles in the family!

This is YUMMY....HOWEVER...trust me and reduce pepper to 1/4 tsp. as 1/2 makes it too spicy and peppery after it has cooked. Also...reduce chicken bouillon to 1 Tablespoon, as it is too salty if you don't. The only thing I added was 1 T. of minced onions and 1-14 oz. can of diced tomatoes. NOW....I will give it as gifts!

I am eating this soup as I write this. It is absolutely wonderful! I love it. The only thing I changed was using 1/3 barley for 1/3 cup of rice, added a little carrot and some chicken boullion.

This soup turned out well. I did make many revisions based on the fact that I live in the middle east and converted rice is not an option and green lentils can be very difficult to find. I used all red lentils and a grain called farro in place of the rice. I created my own seasoning mix similar to what would be in poultry seasoning and used fresh made chicken broth instead of water. To top the soup off and give it some color I added diced fresh tomatoes. Very hearty and perfect for a cool day.

I made a test batch of this before giving the mix-in-a-jar to my sons' teachers for Christmas. Very hearty and delicious! It looks so pretty in the jar, too, especially if you can find the red lentils. (If your grocery store has an Indian food section, or your town has an Indian/South Asian grocery store, you should be able to find them there as Masoor Dal. I was able to find them in an SD town of 20K.) I used regular rice. I did have to increase the ingredients by half to tightly fill a wide-mouthed pint jar. I like that the recipient only has to add water and butter to make it, and that it's ready in about 30 minutes.

Used half the rice but its so good. I ended up eating half the soup. I would love mushrooms in it. I skipped all optional items, wanted a plain soup. This is good.

I like this soup jar gift recipe more than most. The items the recipe asks the recipient to add are just a couple, optional & something most people have on hand. I dislike the recipes that require the recipient to add a lot of ingredients. I think it makes the gift inconvenient & expensive. I made 25 jars for gifts for the post master, garbage man, my kids teachers, crossing guard, volunteer fire department & so on. I figured it in a gift bag, with a wooden spoon & Christmas tea towel. Everyone loved it!

Love this soup and it is an extra bonus that it can be given as a gift. So easy to throw together too!

This is a delicious soup with or without the chicken! I love that I can make everything ahead except the chicken and celery (if using) and put in a mason jar and it looks lovely sitting on the shelf.

Too much pepper. Overall, taste is a little bland, even with adding optional celery and chicken. Needs more vegetables to improve on flavour.

Delicious.

I added smoked sausage and it was GREAT

I make many gifts in jars to give as presents. This is very tasty, but need to reduce the pepper to 1/4 tsp or it is to spicy. Also, a pint jar is 2 cups and your recipe is just over 1 1/3 cup. Leaves a lot of room in the jar. Once shake and the pretty layers are gone. I add a 1/3 cup of split peas. It still doesn't fill the jar but it gets closer and keeps the layers even. Then I add an extra cup of water to the base.

I've not made this soup but I'm desperate to try it. I'm vegan and this is an easy recipe to convert. I have a question: When people are sealing and storing it, how long does it keep for and does it need to be refrigerated?? Thank you for replies in advance x

This is going to be my mass christmas present! Made it just before making the gifts. It is simple but delicious and savory. I really enjoyed it.

I have made this several times. I LOVE it. Great nutrition and a wonderful flavor. I added dried celery to my jar because keeping fresh celery is a pain. I used a can of chicken. If giving as a gift, you can just put the can of chicken with the jar as part of the whole gift. The soup tastes wonderful and freezes well. It is usually gone too fast to freeze any but I tried it just to see.

This is a favorite in my house, and that’s saying a lot with 6 young kids as the food critics!

Very good. Have made twice. First time, added cooked, crumbled ground beef at end of cooking. Second time, added cooked crumbled sausage. Yummy!

I've given this recipe in the jar for the past several Christmas's.... we love it.. always make extra for us during the year..... We do add things to it.. and it always is good... and different.... I've added ham.. turkey.... chicken.. mushrooms.. zucchini.. you name it.. whatever is in the fridge... always great!

Good soup! I doubled the recipe except the pepper and rice, leaving those measurements the same as original. It still had a bit of a kick of spice to it but not overbearing. I used yellow lentils instead of green to keep the color light, and also added the celery, some chopped onions and carrots to make it hardier. This recipe is so healthy and yummy! It will be a keeper for me and my family. Might try giving jars of it away too!

Delicious!!! A great soup for people who like to meal prep -- ate it all week! The only change I made was in place of the 8 cups water and 2 T chicken granules, I instead used... *2 cups chicken broth (homemade) *6 cups water *1 chicken bouillon cube I enjoy that the recipe doesn't rely heavily on onions or garlic as many other soups do