Tuscan Brown Lentil Soup
A rustic lentil soup built on a soffritto, the slow-cooked base of onion, carrot and celery used throughout Italian cooking. The lentils thicken it themselves, and a drizzle of good olive oil finishes it. Give the soffritto time, because everything else depends on 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 stock
- 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, which Italians call a soffritto, gives the soup its depth and is 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, stock, 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 soup.
- 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.