Name: Zuppa di Lenticchie
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 300 g green or brown lentils; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 2 carrots, diced; 2 celery sticks, diced; 2 garlic cloves; 200 g tinned chopped tomatoes; 1 ⅜ litres water; 1 bay leaf; 2 sprigs rosemary; 1 tsp salt

Zuppa di Lenticchie

A rustic soup of green lentils with carrot, celery, tomato and rosemary, simmered for 40 minutes and finished with olive oil.

50 min total Serves 4 servings Easy

The first sign it is ready is the smell: onions turning sweet in olive oil with a sprig of rosemary, and then the earthy steam of lentils. Zuppa di lenticchie is a plain Italian soup that needs no soaking, no stock cube and almost no attention.

Use small green or brown lentils, which hold their shape. Rinse them, pick out any stones and add them to the softened vegetables with the tomato and water. Salt at the end, not the start, because salt added early can leave lentil skins tough. A bay leaf and a rosemary sprig do the flavouring.

Simmer for about 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the broth has thickened a little. Crush a ladleful against the side of the pan for body. Serve in deep bowls with olive oil and, if you like, a spoonful of red wine vinegar to lift the flavour. A piece of Parmesan rind in the pot is an easy extra.

How to Make Zuppa di Lenticchie

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Soften the onion, carrot and celery in the oil for 8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
Add the rinsed lentils, tomatoes, water, bay leaf and rosemary and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 40 minutes until the lentils are tender.
Crush a ladleful against the pan, add the salt and remove the bay leaf and rosemary. Serve with a drizzle of oil.

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Worth Getting Right

Add the salt near the end.
Crush a few lentils to thicken the broth.
A splash of vinegar brightens the soup.

Common Substitutions & Variations

An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

What to Serve With It

Crusty bread · Grated Parmesan · Cooked sausage

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Rosemary Focaccia, Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Ciabatta.

Leftovers and Storage

Keeps for 4 days in the fridge. Freeze for 3 months.