Looking for a dinner idea? Here’s my Rustic Soup with Lentils and Champignons: a quick recipe with canned lentils and the trick of sautéed mushrooms for a unique taste! Easy, quick, and delicious!
Instead of cooking everything together, I sautéed the mushrooms separately in a pan, making them crispy and fragrant, and then added them to the lentil cream only at the end.
Using canned lentils speeds up the cooking time, while the separate cooking of the mushrooms ensures perfect texture: golden and flavorful mushrooms that don’t end up “boiled.”
It’s a healthy and nutritious main dish, ready in half an hour, perfect for warming up on the coldest nights or when you’re craving something good but short on time.
If you like, you can use dried lentils: it will take a bit more time, but the result is guaranteed. I often find myself deciding at the last minute, and this soup is one of my favorite last-minute saviors.
Serve the soup with a drizzle of raw oil and slices of toasted bread rubbed with a bit of garlic. Simply delicious!
Moreover, it is a naturally detox dish. Lentils provide valuable fiber for the intestines, while champignons add essential minerals like selenium and potassium. It’s the ideal choice for those who want to indulge in a warm meal while staying in shape and feeling rejuvenated.
Healthy, protein-rich, and ready in 20 minutes: the unexpected comfort food.
Let’s see how to make the Rustic Soup with Lentils and Champignons. Prepare the ingredients, and let’s get started!
And if you try it, don’t forget to let me know in the comments on my Facebook page HERE. If you want, give a Like to the page: it would make me really happy. I’m waiting for you.
Gabriella
Other delicious recipes to try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 2 cans canned lentils
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 carrot (small)
- 1 stalk celery
- 1/2 onion
- 1.8 oz tomato puree
- to taste salt
- to taste vegetable broth
- 12 oz champignon mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- to taste chopped parsley (fresh)
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
Tools
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Chopper
Steps
First, prepare the soffritto. Peel the carrot, celery, and onion and chop them finely. In a large saucepan, heat 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and add the chopped vegetables. Let them soften gently for about 5-6 minutes, adding a tablespoon of water if necessary to prevent the onion from burning.
Drain the lentils from their preserving liquid, rinse them under running water, place them in the saucepan, and stir for a minute so they absorb the flavors. Then cover with vegetable broth, add the tomato puree, and let cook over moderate heat for 10-12 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, clean the mushrooms: cut off the end of the stem and then remove the dirt, preferably with a paper towel (or using a brush). If you prefer, rinse them quickly. Slice them not too thinly and set aside.
In a non-stick frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with the whole garlic (which you will remove at the end) and thyme. Add the mushrooms and sauté over high heat for 5-6 minutes: they should be golden and firm. Season with salt only after cooking.
At this point, put the fresh parsley (keep a bit aside) in a food processor and mix well. Add it to the pan with the mushrooms and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has dried up and the mushrooms are tender.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the fresh parsley set aside.
At this point, the soup is ready to be served. Pour it into plates, add the sautéed mushrooms on top, finish with fresh chopped parsley, a pinch of pepper, and serve! Here’s the Rustic Soup with Lentils and Champignons ready. Enjoy your meal!
See you in the next recipe
Storage
The rustic soup with Lentils and Champignons keeps perfectly in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, sealed in an airtight container. However, I recommend storing the mushrooms separately from the soup to prevent them from becoming too soft: add them only after reheating the lentil base.
Tips and Suggestions
– For a thicker consistency, use an immersion blender to puree a small portion of the soup directly in the pot; this way, it will be thicker and more enveloping.
– If you have leftover mushrooms, you can store them in a separate container and use them the next day on a whole wheat bread bruschetta or as a quick side dish for a light main course.
– If you want to make this dish even more delicious, serve it with croutons toasted in a pan with a bit of butter or oil and rosemary. It will become the family’s favorite dish!
– Extra idea: if you want to make the dish even more nutritious, add 100g of pearl barley or precooked spelt along with the lentils. It will increase the fiber content and make the soup a complete meal.
– You can prepare the lentil base well in advance (even the day before). When serving, gently reheat it and add the sautéed mushrooms.
Why is it good for you?
This soup is a true elixir of life! Lentils are an incredible source of plant protein and iron, but the real secret is the combination with the soffritto and mushrooms.
– Fibers and satiety: lentils help keep the glycemic index low and make us feel full for a long time.
– Immune defenses: champignons contain selenium and antioxidants, valuable allies for our immune system during the cold months.
– Sautéing the mushrooms separately with little oil helps preserve the B vitamins, which would otherwise be lost in the broth.
Did You Know?
Do you know why lentils are eaten on New Year’s to wish for wealth? The tradition dates back to the Ancient Romans! They used to give a “scarsella,” a small leather bag tied to the belt, full of dried lentils. The wish was that, when cooked, those small legumes would grow in volume until they turned into gold coins. So, let’s bring this soup to the table not only because it’s good, but because it also brings a touch of luck… which never hurts!
Can I replace canned lentils with dried ones?
Absolutely yes! Using dried lentils will give your soup a more intense flavor and a much more rustic and pleasant texture. However, to achieve a perfect result, you need to follow a few different tips compared to the quick version:
– The proportions. Dried lentils increase significantly in volume: so 200-250 g of dried lentils will be enough.
– Soaking. Most small lentils do not require soaking. Just rinse them well under running water. If you use large-grain lentils, soaking them for about 2 hours will make them more tender.
– Dried lentils will absorb a lot of liquid during cooking. Therefore, double the amount of broth compared to the original recipe (calculate about 1 liter – 1.2 liters).
– Cooking times. Instead of 10 minutes, dried lentils will need 30-45 minutes of gentle cooking after the soffritto.
Chef’s trick: do not add salt at the beginning of the cooking. Salt in contact with dried lentils hardens the skin, preventing them from cooking well. Salt the soup only in the last 5 minutes when the legumes are already tender.
Chef’s trick: do not add salt at the beginning of the cooking. Salt in contact with dried lentils hardens the skin, preventing them from cooking well. Salt the soup only in the last 5 minutes when the legumes are already tender.
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FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Do I have to cook the mushrooms separately?
It’s not mandatory, but it’s the touch that makes the difference. Cooking them with the lentils tends to make the mushrooms soft and grayish. Sautéing them separately over high heat keeps them firm, golden, and with a much more intense flavor.
Can I use other types of mushrooms?
Absolutely! Champignons are affordable and easy to find, but you can replace or mix them with pleurotus (oyster) mushrooms or portobellos. If you like, you can also add a handful of dried porcini (previously soaked and squeezed) directly into the lentil soffritto.
