Recipe - Mushroom and Lentil Soup

Ah soup. You are the epitome of comfort food. Warming and soothing, you help make days and nights better, and no matter how savory you get, you always manage to woo me. I know that I have been posting a lot of mushroom recipes lately but the one type I haven't really focused on is a hearty (mainly) mushroom soup. To create something savory and worthy of both being a side dish and a full entree, I need to make a soup that was hefty enough in substance and flavors. Green lentils made a huge difference as did the aroma from several different herbs so here you have it, a mushroom lentil soup that will chase away your worries with each spoonful. Try this recipe on for size - hope you enjoy!


Step 1: Ingredients (yields 8-10 servings)

• 2 Tbsps olive oil
• 2 Tbsps unsalted butter
• 4 shallots, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 8 oz white mushrooms (button)
• 1 1/2 cups green lentils, dry
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 3 Bay leaves, dry
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp oregano, dry
• 1 tsp thyme, dry

Step 2: Prepping the mushrooms
Whereas the lentils will give the physical heft to this soup, the mushrooms will infuse the umami and other flavorful heft. I cooked this whole soup in just one stockpot. Heat up olive oil and butter together at medium heat. Add in sliced shallots & garlic. Once they start to turn translucent, add in mushrooms and coat well in the droolworthy fats. These should brown beautifully.


Step 3: Prepping the lentils
Done wiping your drool up yet? Add in your lentils next to coat in the glorious mushroom and butter mix (doesn't that just SOUND good?). Once thoroughly and deliciously primed, the lentils will cook in liquid. Pour in broth and water. Bring to a boil.

Step 4: Finishing
I love this recipe for its simplicity. Once the stock has boiled, reduce heat to low, add in remaining ingredients, cover stockpot, and let simmer at least 20 minutes for lentils to fully cook. They'll hold up well and won't get mushy if you cook for longer but make sure you don't have too much liquid. Before enjoying, remove bay leaves!


Photography by Duc Duong.