This delicious soup is called “Fran Berman’s Ginger and Lentil Soup”, but alas I do not know who Fran Berman is. A friend gave me the recipe, and the friend wasn’t sure about Fran Berman either. Maybe the real Fran Berman will come take credit for this great soup recipe? I hope so.
Since posting it I’ve made it dozens of times, though I usually halve the recipe and I use slightly less water. It’s a fairly simple soup with spiciness from the garlic and ginger and sweetness from the carrots. For the vegetable broth, I usually use Swanson brand.
Ginger and Lentil Soup
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Fran Berman's Ginger and Lentil Soup is a flavorful soup perfect for all year round.
Author: Cookie Madness
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: American
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 1 pound brown lentils
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
- 3 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh, peeled ginger root, diced or grated
- 3 to 4 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 2/3 cups water (I only use about 2 cups)
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (vegetable)
- Fine sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Dashes of balsamic vinegar to taste (about 2 teaspoons)
Instructions
- Put the lentils in a colander. Rinse thoroughly under cool running water.
- In a 6-to-8-quart or larger heavy pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and saute until transparent. Add 2/3 cup water and the diced carrots and simmer a for minute.
- Stir in the lentils, then add the stock and remaining 3 cups of water.
- Partially cover. Simmer over a low flame, stirring often, 30-40 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
- Remove from heat and cool briefly. Stir in salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar to taste.
Notes
Over the years I've reduced the water somewhat.
jenny says
November 29, 2007 at 5:59 pmI made a half batch today. Used chicken broth instead of vegetable. I didn’t have cans or packs of broth, so used Better Than Bouillon. Have you used it? I like it as a quick alternative to homemade broth. Better tasting than the cubes, in my opinion. The soup was really flavorful and good. I put a dash of balsamic vinegar in my soup bowl (1/2 t?). Didn’t need salt either.
Mary says
November 28, 2007 at 1:10 pmWe love lentil soup! Thanks for sharing and great website!
Julie O'Hara says
November 28, 2007 at 9:19 amThanks to you and Kristin for this recipe. Lentils are one of my favorite things to cook and I always want new ideas. This recipe is almost my exact lentil soup version, except with a whole lot of ginger–I never thought of that!
Julie
rebecca says
November 27, 2007 at 9:43 pmthe flavors sound wonderful. thank you for posting this!
Anna says
November 27, 2007 at 8:14 pmI’ll probably be eating this for lunch for the next 2 days. My dashes equaled about a tablespoon total. But honestly, with soup, you just have to taste as you go.
Kristin W says
November 27, 2007 at 5:39 pmDebbi, it really is to taste. My “dashes” when I make it are more like big, ol’ splashes, but I *really* like balsamic vinegar. When it tastes right to you, it’s enough.
Also, on the ginger, grate it if you like a more pronounced ginger flavor throughout, dice it if you want it a bit milder.
Glad you liked it, Anna! I have a pot of it in the fridge too, just waiting for me to get home.
Debbi says
November 27, 2007 at 5:28 pmThis sounds really good. Any idea how much balsamic vinegar you used??