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We have been making a pasta and lentil soup recipe for many years. I started making it when my kids were little because it reminded me of my childhood. My mother made something similar around the holidays. The kids like the soup because it has pasta in it. I like it because it has lentils (Affiliate Link). It's a win-win for everyone. This lentil soup recipe is super easy and can be cooked in a Dutch oven (Affiliate Link) during the week or for a Sunday night dinner. Read on and try it tonight!
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To change it up a bit, this year, I added spinach and replaced the type of pasta. It was a huge hit. I particularly like making this dish on the cooler nights because it keeps you nice and warm and is very filling.
Pasta and Lentil Soup Recipe Ingredients:
1 cup dried green lentils (Affiliate Link)
6 tablespoon olive oil (Affiliate Link)
½ cup ham, cut into small cubes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
One stick of celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
9 cups chicken broth
⅛ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon dried thyme (Affiliate Link)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Cavatelli pasta (use can use gluten-free or regular pasta)
1 10 oz box of frozen spinach
Pasta and Lentil Soup Recipe Instructions:
Step 1: Clean and soak the lentils (Affiliate Link) for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Cook the frozen spinach, let it cool, and press to remove excess liquid. Then, set aside. Be sure to gather and prep all the ingredients. Cut ½ cup ham into small cubes. Then, finely chop one medium onion and set aside. Then, finely chop one celery stick. Now, Cut the carrot into finely chopped pieces.
Step 3: In a large cast iron Dutch oven (Affiliate Link), heat the oil. Sauté the cubed ham for 2—3 minutes.
Step 4: Add the onion and cook gently until it softens. This will take about 5 minutes or less.
Step 5: Add in the celery and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring often.
Step 6: Add the cleaned and drained lentils (Affiliate Link) to the pot and stir to coat. You should have enough fat in the pot to coat the lentils (Affiliate Link) well.
Step 7: Pour in the broth and the dried herbs, and bring the soup to the boil. Cook over moderate heat for about 30-45 minutes or until the lentils (Affiliate Link) are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 8: Add pasta (gluten-free or regular) and cook it until it is done. Depending on the pasta brand, it can range from 8 minutes to 11 minutes.
Step 9: Now add the drained spinach and stir and cook for about 3 minutes. You can also use fresh super greens mix (4 cups) at this point if you don't have time to cook the frozen spinach.
Allow the soup to stand for a few minutes before serving.
Type of pasta you can use
You can use a variety of pasta for this dish. The trick is to make sure it is small and not too large. Below are some I suggest.
- Fusilli (Affiliate Link) pasta
- Ditalini (Affiliate Link) pasta
- elbow (Affiliate Link) pasta
- shell (Affiliate Link) pasta
Can I make this pasta and lentil recipe with gluten-free pasta?
ABSOLUTELY! I do it all the time. I just made it the other day with a gluten-free Ditalini (Affiliate Link) pasta.
How long can I keep this pasta and lentil soup recipe after it is cooked?
The soup holds up well in the refrigerator. It will last about three days in the refrigerator. Everyone loves it, and it doesn't last that long.
Reveal
Doesn't it look yummy? This pasta and lentil soup recipe is so hard and great for leftovers. I hope you and your family enjoy the recipe. Note: Add extra broth when reheating if you want it to be a soup again.
Well, there you have it. If you wish to rate it or print out the recipe, please do so here. I would love the feedback.
Visit our other soup recipes:
Pasta and Lentil Soup Recipe Card
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8
Description
Add extra broth when reheating if you want it to be a soup again.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried green lentils (Affiliate Link)
- 6 tbsp olive oil (Affiliate Link)
- ½ cup ham, cut into small cubes
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 stick celery, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 9 cups chicken broth
- ⅛ tsp dried sage
- ¼ tsp dried thyme (Affiliate Link)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups Cavatelli pasta
- 1 10 oz box of frozen spinach
Instructions
- Clean and soak the lentils (Affiliate Link) for 20 minutes.
- Cook the frozen spinach, let it cool, and press to remove excess liquid. Then, set aside. Be sure to gather and prep all the ingredients. Cut ½ cup ham into small cubes. Then, finely chop one medium onion and set aside. Then, finely chop one celery stick. Now, Cut the carrot into finely chopped pieces.
- In a large cast iron dutch oven (Affiliate Link), heat the oil. Sauté the cubed ham for 2—3 minutes.
- Add the onion and cook gently until it softens. This will take about 5 minutes or less.
- Add in the celery and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring often.
- Add the cleaned and drained lentils (Affiliate Link) to the pot and stir to coat. You should have enough fat in the pot to coat the lentils (Affiliate Link) well.
- Pour in the broth and the dried herbs, and bring the soup to the boil. Cook over moderate heat for about 30-45 minutes or until the lentils (Affiliate Link) are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add pasta (gluten-free or regular) and cook it until it is done. Depending on the pasta brand, it can range from 8 minutes to 11 minutes.
- Now add the drained spinach and stir and cook for about 3 minutes. You can also use fresh super greens mix (4 cups) at this point too, if you don't have time to cook the frozen spinach.
- Allow the soup to stand for a few minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 53 minutes
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 420.56 kcal
- Sugar: 8.2 g
- Sodium: 947.92 mg
- Fat: 16.61 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.29 g
- Trans Fat: 0.0 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.61 g
- Fiber: 5.04 g
- Protein: 19.86 g
- Cholesterol: 16.46 mg
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Susan cooper says
Hi, I'm not a huge fan of lentils, but this would be fun to try. Very different. Maybe it would give me a new outlook. 🙂