Lentil, Lemon, and Dill Soup is a hearty and flavourful soup that you can make in 1-pot without much effort. If you like lemon and dill you’ll love this!
About the Ingredients
Most of the ingredients in the soup are common pantry staples.
About Puy Lentils
We used Puy lentils for this recipe. These are green lentils that are from a region in France called Le Puy. These lentils hold their shape well – they won’t get mushy from cooking like some other lentils.
You can substitute other types of green or brown lentil, or really any colour of lentil, but they will have a more mushy/creamy consistency. Be sure to read the instructions on your lentil package, as some may require longer cooking or a bit more water.
Substituting Fresh for Frozen Spinach
You could use fresh spinach in this recipe instead. Wash and chop it and then add it to the soup at the same time as you would add the frozen spinach.
Substituting Fresh for Dried Dill
We haven’t tried this but it would probably be delicious. Add the fresh dill toward the end of cooking. You will need more fresh dill to attain the intense dill flavour of this soup.
Options for thickening the soup
There are 2 ways you can thicken this soup:
- If you’re vegetarian, you’ll mix eggs with lemon juice and then whisk them into the soup. This combination is inspired by Avgolemono, a traditional Greek sauce made with egg and lemon (avgo means egg and lemono means lemon).
- If you’re vegan (or just out of eggs), you can thicken it with coconut milk. The taste will obviously not be identical to the vegetarian version but it’s still delicious.
Making the Soup
This is a low effort soup. You’ll start by sauteing the onions in the olive oil. Stir in the lentils and water and let them simmer for about 20 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed.
Next stir, in the spinach, butter, dill, garlic, lemon juice, and salt and cook until everything is heated through, about 10 minutes.
For the vegetarian version, crack the eggs into a measuring cup and stir in the lemon juice. Use a whisk to stir in the lemon/egg mixture. Heat through and your soup is ready to eat.
To make a vegan version, stir in a cup of coconut milk instead of the eggs and lemon juice. The flavour will not be exactly the same as the vegetarian soup, but it’s still delicious.
Other Soup Recipes
- 1-Pot Spicy Black Bean Soup
- Coconut Lentil Vegetable Soup
- Tom Kha Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Easy Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Roasted Carrot Soup (with orange and red curry)
Lentil, Lemon, and Dill Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup Puy Lentils (or substitute green, brown or other lentils)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 250 gram frozen spinach
- 2 tablespoons butter or vegan substitute
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons dried dill
- 2 tablespoons dried garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetarian Version
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Vegan Version
- 1 cup coconut milk
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot.
- Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the lentils and water and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach, butter, lemon juice, dill, garlic, and salt and heat until the spinach is defrosted and the soup is hot, about 10 minutes.
Vegetarian Version
- In a measuring cup, mix the 2 eggs with the lemon juice.
- With the soup over low heat, whisk in the egg/lemon mixture, until well-blended. Heat through.
- Taste and add more salt if needed.
Vegan Version
- Stir in coconut milk and heat through. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
Notes
Using Other Types of Lentils
I have only tested this recipe with Puy Lentils. These lentils hold their shape while cooking. You can use green, brown, or other types of lentils as well. It will still taste good, but the consistency of the soup will be different. Read the package instructions for amount of water and cooking time.Substituting Fresh for Frozen Spinach
You could use about 6-8 cups of chopped fresh spinach instead. Add it at the same time as you would the frozen spinach.Substituting Fresh for Dried Dill
We have not tested it, but try adding about 1/2 cup of fresh dill toward the end of cooking, just before adding the egg/lemon or coconut milk.Storage and Reheating
The soup will keep in the fridge in a well-sealed container for 3 or 4 days. Reheat over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add water as needed to thin it.Nutritional Information
Nutritional information is an estimate only, for the vegetarian version of the soup.Nutrition
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2 comments
Hi…You’re instructions say to add butter but butter is not listed in the ingredients.
Making your soup right now… so far so good! I guess I’ll add a couple tablespoons of butter. Hope you can clarify how much butter to add!
Thanks!
Tricia
Hi Tricia! So sorry about that! I have corrected the recipe and your instincts were good – it’s 2 tablespoons of butter.