Sopa De Lentejas (Mexican Lentil Soup)

Sopa de lentejas is a super easy and tasty, Mexican lentil soup that your family will love. Our vegan, gluten-free version of the soup will satisfy even the toughest critics in your house. The Instant Pot makes this soup fast, so you can enjoy it just about any night of the week or prep it ahead for easy grab and go meals all week long!

What is Sopa de lentejas?

Sopa de lentejas is a traditional Mexican lentil soup. It is seasoned with fresh herbs and veggies. The name translates to English as lentils soup.

The soup is packed full of lentils that offer a good amount of protein and fiber, so it is both filling and healthy at the same time. 

Why you will love Lentejas or Mexican Lentils?

Sopa de lentejas is a perfect way to enjoy a lentil soup. Lightly seasoned but still very flavorful, this soup will make just about any one ask for seconds. 

If your kids or family don’t love lentils, this soup is a good way to get them to eat them! My family loved the homey, classic flavors in the soup, raved about it, and asked when I’m making it again. It makes enough to stash half in the freezer for a rainy day or for winter cold and flu season.

Also, lentils are packed with fiber and protein. These are two very important nutrients that you need to feel full and to eat a healthy diet. 

Ingredients for Sopa De Lentejas

Here’s what you need to make this delicious lentejas soup.

• Dry lentils - You can use brown or green.
• Vegetable broth or water -  If using veggie broth we recommend low sodium
• Onion  - red or white onions
• Roma tomatoes - fresh are the best!
• Garlic cloves -  garlic brighten the flavor palette
• Carrot- You can also add any other fresh veggies like potatoes, celery, green beans or frozen veggies you would like.
• Seasonings - You’ll need salt (to taste), oregano, a bay leaf, and a handful of cilantro with stems.

How to make sopa de lentejas in Instant Pot

We recommend using the Instant Pot to save some time with soaking the lentils.

• First rinse the dried lentils well and place them aside.

• Next, add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic into a blender. Once added, blend until it becomes a smooth puree.
• When the puree is ready, press the sauté button. Once HOT, add the oil to the inner steel pot of your pressure cooker.
• Carefully pour in the onion tomato puree, lentils, and diced carrots. Sauté until fragrant or about 1 to 3 minutes.
• Next, season with salt (to taste), oregano, and the bay leaf and then pour water into the pot. Finally, add the cilantro bunch before pressing the cancel button to stop the Sauté mode. Next, place the lid on the Instant Pot and pressure cook for 10 minutes.

• When done, do a quick release of pressure.
• Finally, remove the cilantro bunch and give it a stir.
• Serve the lentil soup with more cilantro on top, a squeeze of fresh lime, queso freso, and diced avocado and our air fryer tortilla chips. This also pairs great with bolillos (Mexican bread).

Lentejas Stove Top Instructions

When making lentejas on the stove top, follow these instructions. 

• First rinse the dried lentils well and soak them for at least 1 hour.
• Next, add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic into a blender. Once added, blend until it becomes a smooth puree.
• When the puree is ready, heat the oil over medium high heat in a large pot.
• Carefully pour in the onion tomato puree, lentils, and diced carrots. Sauté until fragrant or about 1 to 3 minutes.
• Next, season with salt (to taste), oregano, and the bay leaf and then pour water into the pot. 
• Finally, add the cilantro bunch before placing a lid on the pot. Allow it to cook, covered, until the lentils are tender.
• When done, remove the cilantro bunch and give it a stir.
• Serve the lentil soup with more cilantro on top, a squeeze of fresh lime, queso fresco, and diced avocado. This also pairs great with bolillos (Mexican bread).

Is soupa de lenetejas vegan and gluten free?

This lentejas soup is both vegan and gluten free! It is perfect for anyone who follows either of the diets. And best of all, you don’t need to modify the recipe at all!

How can I meal prep this lentejas soup?

The veggies all need to be chopped. You can cut them up the day before if you place them in separate containers in the fridge. Just make sure the containers are airtight. 

You can also make a large batch of this soup on the weekend and serve it to the family all week long. If you want an easy lunch, store it in individual containers instead of one large container for an easy take along lunch.

How To Store This Mexican Lentil Soup

First, allow the lentejas soup to cool completely. Once cool, pour the soup into an airtight container and place in the fridge.

The soup should last in the fridge for about 3 to 5 days. 

When you want to serve it again, you can gently heat it over medium low heat on the stove top. Or you could place the soup in the microwave and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until warmed through.

Is this soup freezer friendly

You can definitely freeze this soup if you like. To reheat, you will want to thaw it in the fridge overnight and then either heat on the stove top or in the microwave. When freezing the soup, it should stay fresh for about 6 months.

Serve with Bolillos

You should definitely make sure to serve this soup with bolillos, a type of crusty Mexican bread. It is a great way to soak up all the soup. We have a great tasting bolillos recipe that is crispy  on the outside and soft on the inside. You should plan to make it with the soup!

Other soups to try

If you love soups as much as we do, then you need to try these other great tasting soups:

• Sopa de Fideo -quick and easy comfort food
• Minestrone soup popular Olive Garden copycat!
• Italian Lentil soup - packed with flavor
• Wild rice soup-So comforting & hearty
• Broccoli cheddar soup - popular Panera bread inspired so cheesy & creamy !

Let us know what you think

If you make this delicious recipe, let us know how it went!   Or if you're on  Instagram  , check out the food pictures / videos or story ideas. When you make this, be sure to take a pic and tag us  Instagram or Facebook!

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