Tuscan Brown Lentil Soup
A rustic soffritto-based lentil soup, thickened by the lentils themselves and finished with good olive oil. The soffritto is the foundation — don't rush it.
By Vegan Cook. Published 5 August 2026
Ingredients
Serves 4.
- 1 cupbrown or green lentils, rinsed
- 1onion, finely diced
- 2carrots, finely diced
- 2 stalkscelery, finely diced
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1tomato, chopped (or 2 tbsp tomato paste)
- 4 cupsvegetable broth
- 1bay leaf
- 1 tspfresh rosemary, chopped
- 3 tbspextra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tbspred wine vinegar, to finish
Cookware
- Heavy soup pot
Method
Read each step end-to-end before starting.
- 01
Make the soffritto
Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook slowly for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and sweet but not browned. This gentle base is the backbone of the soup — Italians call it the soffritto and it's worth every minute.
- 02
Add aromatics
Stir in the garlic and rosemary and cook for 1 minute, then add the chopped tomato and cook for 2 minutes until it breaks down.
- 03
Simmer
Add the rinsed lentils, broth, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender and some have broken down to thicken the broth.
- 04
Adjust the texture
For a thicker soup, blend a ladleful and stir it back in. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt.
- 05
Finish
Off the heat, stir in the red wine vinegar to brighten it, and serve each bowl with a drizzle of the remaining olive oil.
Allergen profile
Every recipe here is fully plant-based. Cross-contamination risk depends on your kitchen, so check all packaging.
Swap note
Naturally gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.