Sopa de Lentejas {Mexican Lentil Soup}

Sopa de lentejas in a heavy soup pot with a ladle.

5 from 12 votes

Sopa de Lentejas {Mexican Lentil Soup}

Sopa de Lentejas with chorizo is the perfect comfort food for any occasion. Lentils get simmered in broth with spicy sausage and fresh veggies to make a cozy soup that your family will love.

Prep Time5

Cook Time50

Total Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 540kcal

Author: Tristin - Home Cooked Harvest

Ingredients

6 ounces chorizo about 3 sausages
1 large onion diced
2 carrots diced or if carrot is smaller can thinly slice
2 celery stalks sliced
1 bell pepper diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups tomatoes freshly diced or 1 14 oz can
2 cups brown or green lentils
8 cups broth or 1/2 broth and 1/2 water
2 tablespoons cilantro minced
optional toppings: hot sauce, cheese, avocado, fresh whole cilantro leaves.

Instructions

In a large stockpot, add in chorizo and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes turning occasionally until brown on all sides. If oil does not leak out on its own poke a hole in the sausage to drain the oil into the pot. Take the sausage from the pot and place on paper towels to drain.
Remove some of the grease from the pot, leaving about 2 tablespoons behind. If there isn't enough fat, add in some extra virgin olive oil.
Add in onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper and sauté (stirring frequently) about 10-12 minutes until softened. Drop the heat to medium low if the mixture starts to cook too quickly.
Add in garlic and cook for another minute.
Next, to the large pot add in the broth, tomatoes, cumin, paprika, oregano, lentils and salt. Give it all a stir.
Slice up cooled sausages on a cutting board. Keep set aside.
Bring up to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes and then add in the cut up sausage. Continue cooking for 10-20 minutes until lentils are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add cilantro.
Top the bowls with toppings.

Notes

Add all of the liquid. It may seem like there is a lot of liquid being added to the soup, you want to add all of it. Lentils soak up a lot of liquid so this is a thick soup and may need even more liquid after they cook.
Different add ins. Make it your own version of lentil soup by adding in different vegetables like green beans, squash, or cubed potatoes. You could even add a little chili powder or make it spicy with chipotle powder.
Instead of broth you can use bouillon. Just mix the bouillon cube with hot water, the amount of cubes to water will depend on the brand you use. Some of them need one cube per cup, some will need one cube for 2 cups.
Cut down broth and use water. You can also substitute some of the broth for water, like 4 cups of broth and 4 cups of water.

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

Nutrition