A staple French soup with Puy lentils, carrots, celery, ham and spices.
by Audrey
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A warm, cozy yet healthy-ish meal is what we often yearn for during the colder seasons – and this French Lentil Soup is just that. Made with heaps of lentils, carrots, celery, ham and spices for good measure, this soup is a simple recipe that delivers big flavors. It’s hearty, filling and with a texture that is both creamy and chunky. This is a delicious staple for a weekday dinner to cozy up to.
About Puy Lentils, aka. French lentils
As its name suggests, a traditional French Lentil Soup is made with Puy Lentils commonly known as “French Lentils”. These slate green lentils grown in Le Puy, in theAuvergneCentral region of France, are protected under an AOC label (Appélation d’origine controlée), testifying to their authenticity.
French lentils have a distinct peppery taste and I love how that they hold their shape very well once cooked. They are very often used in soups, but also make a great side for meat or fish.
Where to purchase Puy Lentils?
In North America, you should be able to find Puy Lentils at your grocery store next to other lentil varieties. They are more pricey than other green or brown lentils, but worth the splurge. If you can’t find them in-store, there are also lots of options online for purchasing them.
Whether you are purchasing them online or in-store, make sure the package says “Puy lentils” and bears a red and yellow AOP seal on the package, which certifies they are truly Puy Lentils. If the bag isn’t noted a “Puy Lentils” but just “French Lentils”, chances are the lentils weren’t grown in France but likely North America or Italy.
How to store this Classic French Lentil Soup
After making (and enjoying) this soup – if you have any leftovers – you can store it in the refrigerator or in the freezer.
- In the refrigerator: store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to3-4 days. Reheat your soup portions on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- In the freezer:store it in a (freezer-friendly) airtight container and place it in the freezer for up to3 months. To reheat, let the soup thaw in the fridge before heating it through on the stovetop or in the microwave. Stir a few splashes of water or to reach your desired soup texture.
Cooking notes & Substitutions:
- Although Puy Lentils are the stars of this recipe, they can be substituted with common green or brown lentils, as a more affordable option. Cooking times can remain the same. The soup will bit more thick and creamy in texture, as more starchy.
- For the ham, choose an “original” or “traditional black forest” ham (not flavored; ie. brown sugar or honey maple).
- To make this soup vegetarian, simply skip the ham.
- The final step of this recipe includes blending a small portion of the soup into a blender. So you will need to use a food blender such as this one.
- This recipes serves4 medium soup bowlsor 6 small bowls.
I hope you enjoy this Classic French Lentil Soup as much as I do! It is a perfect weekday lunch or dinner for the whole family. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment.
More French Soup recipes you may like:
-
- Provencal Garlic Soup (Aigo Boulido)
- Split Pea Bacon Soup (Potage Saint Germain)
- Smoked Ham Hock Bean Cabbage Soup (Garbure)
- Classic French Carrot Soup (Potage Crecy)
Classic French Lentil Soup
Print Recipe
Serves: 4-6 people Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 4.3/5
( 15 voted )
Ingredients
2 tbsp (30ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
100g ham, cubed
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced (keep leaves for garnish)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 can [[28-fld oz/796ml] diced tomatoes
1 ½ cup (288g) French green lentils (or brown lentils)
4 cups (945ml) vegetable broth
Instructions
Step 1 - Heat up the extra virgin olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium-heat. Add the cubed ham and cook for about 5 minutes until the ham is lightly seared and fragrant. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the carrots, celery, salt, smoked paprika, cumin, thyme and pepper, and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 2 – Add the diced tomatoes, lentils and broth. Stir to combine and lower the temperature to low-medium heat. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes (until the lentils are done).
Step 3 – Transfer about 2 cups (500ml) of the “soup” to a blender and puree until smooth. Stir it back into the pot with the rest of the soup. The soup should be creamy with some "chunks" – if too thick, you can thin it out by adding ¼ cup of water at a time. Turn off the heat, season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Serve in individual bowls with a few chopped celery leaves for garnish.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Leave a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram and tag @pardonyourfrench
carrotscelerifallhamlentilssoupWinter
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Eggplant Caviar Dip (Caviar d’Aubergine)
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Classic French Salad Recipes
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45 comments
Dilushani October 16, 2020 - 8:15 am
Is that weight listed for dry or pre-soaked lentils?
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Audrey October 16, 2020 - 11:16 am
Hi! The weight is for dry lentils. Happy cooking!
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Dilushani October 22, 2020 - 7:49 pm
thank you! I made the vegetarian version and used fresh thyme. Very happy with it. Can it be made in bulk and frozen?
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Audrey October 23, 2020 - 11:24 am
Thank you! Yes you can definitely freeze this lentil soup. Before freezing the soup, make sure the soup has cooled off completely first. Once the soup has cooled off, chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minute, and you can then package it to store in the freezer.
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Dilushani October 23, 2020 - 9:28 pm
Excellent to know! Thanks!
Susan October 22, 2020 - 5:51 pm
What a great soup! Thank you!
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Audrey October 22, 2020 - 7:05 pm
Thanks Susan!
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Soph October 25, 2020 - 3:28 am
I just made some – Delicious!
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Audrey October 25, 2020 - 11:17 am
Great, Thank you for your feedback Sophia!
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Kathi November 9, 2020 - 1:00 am
Love this soup and thanks for posting this recipe. However, I cheated and cooked it in my pressure cooker for 25 minutes on the soup icon after I sauted all of the veggies and the ham in my pressure cooker pot. I have an XL Power Pressure Cooker that I could not live with out for soups and stews. I also soaked the lentels over night – so as to help stop any gas. I pureed 4 coups of the soup as we like it a lot less chuncky soups. The Black Forest ham from the deli was fantastic. I also used Better than Bouillon Beef Base – 4 tablespoons with 4 cups water as it has no MSG and low sodium. The soup turned out fantastic. Thanks again for sharing this recipe.
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Audrey November 9, 2020 - 11:43 am
Thanks for your feedback and for sharing your notes Kathi!
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SUSAN January 15, 2023 - 4:38 pm
Will make it! I have lentils from NYE, traditionally they bring prosperity for the new year. At least here in Italy 😞
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Audrey January 15, 2023 - 5:26 pm
I think making it twice will bring you double the luck! Hope you enjoy it!
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Lynda Ewing January 26, 2021 - 12:36 pm
Deliciously, warming comfort soup. I made it practically all from store cupboard I ingredients.I
I will definitely add the recipe to my repertoire! Thank you.
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Audrey January 26, 2021 - 4:47 pm
Amazing, thank you!
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Sara February 12, 2021 - 1:40 pm
This was great! Wondering if it freezes well.
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Audrey February 13, 2021 - 12:46 pm
Thank you Sara! Yes you can freeze this soup. Before freezing the soup, make sure the soup has cooled off completely first. Once the soup has cooled off, chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minute, and you can then package it to store in the freezer.
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Lisa February 26, 2021 - 4:52 am
Audrey, this was another winner! I LOVE lentils, but my husband? Not so much. But this? This he can’t stop raving about. It’s a keeper! The only tweak I made was to add a couple of tspns of vinegar at the end. Just something I do often to soups. 🙂 Looking forward to making more of your recipe goodness. (I recently made your ham, olive, and gruyere bread again – soooo good.)
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Audrey February 26, 2021 - 12:21 pm
Thanks so much Lisa!
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Lucy March 5, 2021 - 4:36 am
So delicious! I love lentils. This was a winner in my household. Merci beaucoup Audrey!
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Audrey March 5, 2021 - 11:55 am
Amazing, thank you Lucy!
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Alexis June 3, 2021 - 1:45 am
Hi. Great recipe, thanks! I used French lentils, which are neither the green nor the brown. Are those ok in this soup? The taste was good but the texture was not what I was expecting (and I’ve made lots of lentil soup, but have only used green or varieties of brown)
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Audrey June 3, 2021 - 4:29 pm
Thank you for your feedback Alexis! French lentils are traditionally used for this soup, so yes! They hold their shape very well once cooked, so the soup was likely less creamy than when using green or brown.
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Melissa August 12, 2021 - 6:37 pm
Hello! I made this tonight for my family and it was a big hit. I used ham, but I am going to try it without next time. I like to make one meatless meal each week and so I am always looking for tasty recipes. I think this will fit the bill!
I also wanted to thank you for your fantastic website. I teach English and the principal asked us to think about new, multidisciplinary courses we could teach. I asked if I could teach an English class on food and cooking where we cook, eat, and clean up and talk about food – this first course will have a French emphasis. I have found several recipes for home style foods that are straightforward to prepare and really traditional on your website. We’ll see if it goes because of the new COVID restrictions on class sizes, etc. If it doesn’t happen this fall, I’ll try again next year. I’m having fun trying new French dishes either way.
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Audrey August 13, 2021 - 10:48 am
Thank you for your feedback Melissa! This soup is lovely without ham as well. Have fun during the French cooking classes, great idea!
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Anonymous September 8, 2021 - 4:59 pm
TOTAL SCORE:)))
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Audrey September 8, 2021 - 7:11 pm
Thanks!
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WEEKLY MENU 01.09.22 - The Well Seasoned Mom January 8, 2022 - 2:00 pm
[…] CLASSIC FRENCH LENTIL SOUP […]
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Anonymous May 31, 2022 - 3:16 am
This was a tasty soup. Next time I would just do 1 can of tomatoes and pre-soak the lentils
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Audrey May 31, 2022 - 6:11 am
Thank you for your feedback!
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Diana Eagle December 31, 2022 - 2:33 pm
Delicious! I’ve made this soup several times. My only adjustment is making stock with a ham hock and using that ham in the recipe. It freezes well so I double the recipe and freeze some for an easy, quick meal later on. Everyone I’ve made it for loves it.
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Audrey January 1, 2023 - 9:35 am
Diana, your idea is wonderful. The flavor from a ham hock is amazing, and adding ham to this recipe almost seems natural. So glad you enjoy it and made it your own at the same time.
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Jacqueline January 9, 2023 - 5:41 pm
Any nutritional info ta
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Audrey January 10, 2023 - 11:58 am
Unfortunately I do not include nutritional information on any of my recipes. Sorry!
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Elizabeth January 13, 2023 - 5:25 pm
Have you ever done this in a slow cooker
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Audrey January 15, 2023 - 2:27 pm
Hello, Elizabeth. I haven’t actually tried this in a slow cooker, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. I’m not sure how long it would take on either high or low setting, but I’m still convinced it would work.
If you do try it, I would love to know the result and how long it ended up taking!
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SUSAN January 15, 2023 - 4:40 pm
🥰
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Mary February 19, 2023 - 12:18 am
This was delicious and so satisfying. My husband said,”Hey you made a great batch tonight. ” Thank you for sharing your recipes with us.
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Audrey February 19, 2023 - 10:43 am
Mary, so glad you and your husband enjoyed this classic French dish. Glad you’re enjoying your stay here!
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REMant August 29, 2023 - 2:07 am
3 celery ribs. Stalks are the whole plant.
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Audrey August 29, 2023 - 6:15 am
Absolutely! The problem I ran into with recipes, was when using “celery rib” I would get asked what a “rib” was… Since using “stalk” which seems to be the most common usage (albeit, incorrect), no one asks any more.
But you’re absolutely correct… A “rib” is the correct usage.
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George January 26, 2024 - 8:10 pm
I substituted beef for the ham and used beef broth. Also added chilli powder for fun.
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Audrey January 26, 2024 - 9:06 pm
Nice! How did it taste with the beef?
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Judy Guenther January 31, 2024 - 1:10 pm
These lentils were just amazing! I found an online French products store from which I purchased the Puy lentils. The spices and everything, combined with the lentils, made a wonderful meal–in fact, several, for our family of two. I used more ham but found everything stunning.
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Audrey January 31, 2024 - 2:25 pm
Love to hear this, Judy! Really happy you found the puy lentils, there’s just something a little different about them that’s hard to explain. And having a French product supply is wonderful! Thanks for reviewing the recipe, I am so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
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Audrey
Bonjour ! I'm Audrey Le Goff, a French cookery writer, photographer, creator of the blog Pardon your French, and cookbook author of Rustic French Cooking Made Easy.
