Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes Soupa)

This Greek Lentil Soup (called Fakes Soupa in Greek) is my all time favorite lentil soup recipe. It’s healthy, hearty, plant-based/vegan, and packed with flavor from fresh herbs and lots of garlic. It’s made in one pot and it’s inexpensive to make! And the best part: it’s finished off with a generous amount of pure extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar (yes, vinegar!) at the very end, which is what makes this Greek lentil soup…Greek!

This lentil soup recipe is simplicity at its best. It was one of my favorite things to eat growing up, and it’s now my older daughter’s most requested meal (I know, that surprised me too). It’s the perfect thing to eat with some crusty, buttered bread on a cold fall or winter evening.

Whenever I need a bit of a detox, this Greek lentil soup is my go-to. It’s one of those dishes where you almost feel *healthier* with every bite you take. Post Thanksgiving and Christmas, I always want a big batch of this as a reset after indulging!

This lentil soup is the epitome of healthy Mediterranean food. The Mediterranean diet is known for its plant-based, olive oil rich recipes. Whether you follow a plant-based diet, or are strictly vegan, or eat meat every day, I promise you’ll fall in love with this delicious and hearty Greek lentil soup!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Dry Lentils – use the green or brown varieties. Red won’t work here, as they turn mushy and don’t hold their shape.
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Onions, celery, and garlic – feel free to add carrots if you want!
• Canned diced or crushed tomatoes – you can omit these if you want, or use fresh chopped tomatoes. Try getting fire-roasted canned tomatoes, as these add lots of flavor!
• Vegetable broth – or chicken broth, or water in a pinch. I usually use Better than Bouillon for this, if I don’t have any homemade vegetable broth or chicken broth on hand.
• Bay leaves – yes they DO add flavor, I promise! But feel free to leave them out if you don’t have any.
• Fresh oregano – or dried.
• Fresh mint – or dried.
• Red wine vinegar – this is added at the end, after cooking. It’s not optional – don’t leave it out!

How to make Greek Lentil Soup

First, sauté onions and celery in olive oil in a large pot until softened. Then, add some garlic. After the garlic is fragrant, which will only take about 30 seconds, pour in the vegetable broth, add the bay leaves and herbs, canned tomatoes, and drained and rinsed soaked lentils. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low until the lentils are cooked, which usually takes about 30 – 40 minutes.

Now is the time to season to taste with salt and pepper (I recommend waiting until the end, since the amount you need will depend on how salty your broth is). When you serve, drizzle each bowl with red wine vinegar – about 1-2 teaspoons – and a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. YUM!

Why you should soak your lentils

I always soak my dried legumes, and lentils are no exception. Soaking the lentils does three things. First, it makes the cooking time faster. Second, soaking in salted water improves the texture of the lentils. Third, and most importantly, soaking helps make the lentils easier to digest.

As with other legumes, lentils can cause some unpleasant digestive issues. This is easily remedied by soaking them (even though the package of lentils and other recipes may tell you it’s not necessary).

Just cover the lentils with plenty of water in a bowl or container, add a tablespoon of salt, and allow them to soak up the water for 1-3 hours at room temperature (or overnight in the fridge). The good thing is they don’t need to soak for as long as other legumes, since they are so small.

What soaking the lentils does is begins the germination process, which breaks down some of the complex sugars, which is what makes legumes difficult to digest. It also makes the cooking time of the lentils so much shorter- this soup only needs about 30 minutes to simmer until it’s done!

When you are ready to make your soup, rinse the soaked lentils very well before adding them, and you’ll be good to go!

If you don’t have time to soak the lentils, the soup will cook up just fine if you don’t want to or don’t have time to soak. But be advised- it will take longer to cook (about an hour) and require more liquid. Do be sure to give the lentils a rinse, to remove any dirt from harvesting.

…Really? Red wine vinegar in soup? And MORE olive oil?

YES! Oh my goodness it’s delicious. 

After the soup is done cooking, you’ll add some extra-virgin olive oil (a whole quarter of a cup- more if you feel like it) and red wine vinegar. I promise, it’s THE BEST THING EVER! Lentils love an acid, which is why I also add a squeeze of lemon juice on top of Mujadara (spiced lentils and rice with caramelized onions).

You might think it’s weird, adding vinegar to lentil soup. But don’t knock it ’till you try it. It adds the perfect amount of acidity to the soup to balance out the earthiness of the lentils. I use it in my vegetarian split pea soup, too.

I think it makes the soup seem a bit lighter, in the way lemon juice does to recipes. Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar would do the trick nicely, too. I love using lime juice in this lentil barley soup.

And the olive oil, added at the end, lends a smooth, delicious flavor and texture to the soup.

Extra-virgin olive oil is unprocessed olive oil that’s straight from the olives to the bottle. It’s never been heated or altered in any way. It has a distinct flavor, and while you can and should cook with it, cooking/heating it affects its flavor.

Stirring it into the lentil soup after it’s done cooking protects it’s virgin flavor and adds a little something-something to the lentil soup in terms of flavor and texture.

What if I don’t have all those fresh herbs?

I feel lucky to have access to lots of fresh herbs from my garden almost year-round, but you can definitely use dried herbs as well. I’ve tried it both ways, and both are delicious. Just substitute 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs (1/3 of the amount).

This recipe calls for oregano and mint. Mint is a very “Greek” herb to use, and I love the flavor it adds to this and other recipes (like this one for Manestra– a one pot Greek orzo and beef dish).

But the herbs are flexible. You can feel free to use parsley, basil, or even use a tablespoon or two of Italian seasoning to simplify your life, which has many of the same herbs.

How to make lentil soup in your slow cooker

You can easily make this soup in your slow cooker. Just add all the ingredients to your crockpot except for the extra olive oil and vinegar. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4, until the lentils are tender. Then, season and stir in the olive oil and red wine vinegar to serve.

Can I make it in my instant pot?

I’ve not tried it personally, but here’s what I’d do. Sauté the vegetables in a 6 or 8 quart pressure cooker using the sauté function, then add the remaining ingredients (besides the olive oil and vinegar). Cook for 10 minutes on manual, high pressure (15 if unsoaked, with 2 cups more vegetable broth).

Then, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, quick release until the float valve depresses, open it, and stir in the vinegar and olive oil.

Can I freeze lentil soup?

As a bonus, this soup freezes VERY well, and it makes a ton. In fact, I think it tastes better the longer it sits! The leftovers will last for about a week in the fridge, and you can freeze it in an airtight container for about 6 months.

Serving suggestions

I like this lentil soup as is, with just a drizzle of red wine vinegar and olive oil. But you can also top it with other things, similarly to chili. Greek yogurt or sour cream, chopped green onions, hot sauce, etc. are all delicious served in this soup!

I also think it would be amazing served with a poached egg in it.

Slices of pita bread or crusty buttered bread are also a welcome addition to any soup recipe.

Other Lentil Soup Recipes

Here are all my soup and stew recipes.

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