This rich, flavourful and hearty lamb and lentils soup is the ultimate soul food. It is guaranteed to comfort you and warm you up on a cold autumn or winter day. It doesn’t take a lot of skill to make it, and the outcome will be extremely rewarding!
A lot of taste in this soup comes from broth, and a lot of taste in the broth comes from bones. That is why I recommend to use home-made broth from a bone-in lamb shank. Simmer it on low heat for a couple of hours together with a bunch of aromatics and watch your kitchen fill up with an incredible smell. You will end up with a strong, rich broth that you can use immediately or freeze for later.
The Flavour Affair:
Lamb + Rosemary + Bay Leaf + Black Peppercorns + Tomatoes + Lentils + Lemon
Because both lamb and lentils are fairly heavy, they need to be offset by fresher, peppery ingredients to create a balanced flavour profile.
Lamb: I recommend using bone-in lamb shank. It will produce a stronger broth with deeper flavours and the cooked meat will be very tender.
Rosemary: this number one companion for lamb brings in woody and citrusy notes and creates an invigorating aroma.
Bay leaf: its herbal taste has distinctive minty undertones which goes amazingly well with lamb.
Black peppercorns: balance the rich, heavy broth with peppery citrusy freshness.
Tomatoes: contribute with a tart, sour-ish taste and add bulk to the broth.
Lentils: I recommend using two types of lentils in this soup to enrich its texture.
Lemon: adds a sharp, bright contrast. Use as a finishing touch drizzling a little lemon over your soup bowl.
Which types of lentils to use?
Chana dal (split chickpeas) and masoor (small red) lentils are great here. Chana dal has quite firm texture that allows it to stay grainy even when cooked for longer times. Small red lentils turn soft and mushy fairly quickly, which adds the comforting thickness to the soup. You can just use chana dal if you prefer a lighter consistency.
Do lentils require soaking?
Most of lentils, including chana dal, require soaking before they can be cooked because it makes them easier to digest and helps to avoid bloating. It also allows for faster cooking times and improves the taste. However, masoor dal is so small that soaking is generally not necessary – it is enough to thoroughly rinse the lentils a few times while gently massaging them.
How to make lamb and lentils soup?
The process is very simple and straightforward. Start by making the broth – place the lamb into a large pot together with the aromatics and pour in the water up until 4-5cm from the pot edges. Soup aromatics (onions, garlic, rosemary and bay leaf) will be discarded so you do not need to spend time chopping them. The only job is to remove the froth which will start to form as the broth is warming up. This will require around 15 minutes of close monitoring, then you will lower the heat, put the lid on and let the stove do the job. While the broth is cooking, prepare the chana dal by soaking it in water.
When the broth is cooked, discard herbs and aromatics and remove the shanks. Let them cool just a little and pull the meat off the bones. Add chana dal, tomatoes, carrots and season with salt. Wait for chana dal to cook for 10 minutes and add small red lentils together with the meat. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the chana dal is cooked.
Enjoy served with a sprinkle of lemon and fresh bread.
Looking for more ideas for satisfying winter soups? Check out my delicious Sopa de Albóndigas recipe, a filling Wild Mushrooms and Cauliflower Soup or a creamy coconutty Butternut Squash and Prawns soup!
Hearty Lamb and Lentils Soup
Equipment
- 1 Large soup pot
- 2 bowls for soaking and rinsing lentils
Ingredients
- 2 lamb shanks bone in
- 5-6 garlic cloves lightly pressed
- 1 onion peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 2-3 carrots cut in chunks
- 200 g chana dal
- 100 g masoor dal small red lentils
- 150 ml strained tomatoes
- A lemon wedge
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 lamb shanks bone in
- 5-6 garlic cloves lightly pressed
- 1 onion peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 2-3 carrots cut in chunks
- 200 g chana dal
- 100 g masoor dal small red lentils
- 150 ml strained tomatoes
- A lemon wedge
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil the shanks together with garlic, onions, bay leaf, rosemary and black peppercorns for about 2.5 hours or until the meat is completely soft. In the beginning watch the soup to remove the froth as it forms.
- While the broth is cooking, use a big bowl to wash the chana dal, cover with water and leave it to soak.
- In another bowl, thoroughly rinse masoor dal a few times.
- When the lamb is completely cooked (soft and falling off the bones), discard the onions, garlics, rosemary and bay leaf and transfer the shanks to a large board.
- Add the carrots and the rinsed chana dal to the broth and bring to simmer. There will be more froth, keep removing it. After about 10 minutes pop in the small red lentils and strained tomatoes. Salt to taste.
- Continue to simmer until the lentils are cooked. In the meantime, pull the meat off the bones and add it back to the soup in the very end.
- Squeeze over a lemon wedge, season with black pepper and serve with fresh bread.
Notes
- The soup can last in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- If you enjoy cooking with spices, you can further enhance the flavours of this soup by adding a pinch of freshly toasted ground coriander, cumin and fennel.
- You can make a quick version of this soup by using lamb cubes. Sear them in a little olive oil, cover with water and cook for 1-1.5 hours until soft with fried onions, garlic, carrots and rosemary. Add the strained tomatoes and chana dal for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
