Easy Lentil Soup Recipe with Smoked Mushrooms (2024)

FAQs

When should I add mushrooms to my soup? ›

It is best to add the mushrooms to the soup during the cooking process, depending on the recipe you are following. If you are starting with a soup base, you can add the mushrooms at the beginning and let them simmer with the other ingredients.

Do you cook lentils before adding to soup? Nope! Dried lentils cook in 35 minutes in the soup, and there's no need to soak them either!

You can also use flour or cornflour to thicken a soup. Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer.

According to America's Test Kitchen (via Splendid Table), mushrooms only need five minutes of cooking in order to get tender. After that point, you can realistically remove them from the heat. If, however, you choose to continue cooking your mushrooms, or simply lose track of time, nothing much will happen.

Adding the raw mushrooms straight to the liquid in the pot diluted their flavor and didn't do anything to help their texture. When this kind of thing happens, don't panic! Panic is the enemy. Instead of tossing the mushrooms straight in the pot, cook them in a little skillet alongside before you add them.

Porcini Mushrooms

Porcinis are commonly found dried, though you can also purchase them fresh. They add a ton of concentrated mushroom flavor to soups, stocks, and more. Just remember to soak them first to re-hydrate them—and be sure to save the flavorful liquid that results.

Why does my lentil soup taste bland? Lentils have a relatively mild taste and take well to seasonings. To avoid a bland lentil soup, use a flavorful broth—whether that's homemade or store-bought chicken or vegetable broth. The other key is building flavor.

While it seems like an unnecessary step, don't skip rinsing your lentils and sifting through them before cooking to remove any stones or debris. It is rare to find stones, but it does happen.

You can also add salt, aromatics like a halved onion, herbs, and spices to the pot before the lentils and the water, like beans, or wait until they're done cooking to flavor them.

This time, it turned out mushy and there wasn't a whole lentil to be found. Damn it! I figured out later that it spent about 2.5 hours too long in the slow cooker (a little miscalculation on my part). If you're like me and have overcooked Lentil Soup then you're in luck because I'm going to show you how to revive it.

Why is my lentil soup mushy? ›

Make sure to not overcook the lentils, or else they will become extremely mushy. That will not affect the taste of this yummy soup, but the mushy lentils thicken the soup and give it a different, less pleasant consistency.

You will know when they are cooked as your mushrooms will darken in colour and soften as the water begins to dissolve and then voila! Your mushrooms are now ready to be used in any dish you would like.

Never salt the mushrooms before cooking. Salt draws out moisture and will therefore make them extremely mushy.

Sautéing mushrooms in butter or olive oil is a good way to improve the texture and firmness, in preparation for adding them to a sauce. I have found that adding uncooked mushrooms to a sauce usually results in a “rubbery” texture and lack of flavor.

Mushrooms don't require extensive cooking time. Once they are added to the soup, simmer them for about 10-15 minutes to ensure they are tender but still retain some firmness. Overcooking can result in mushy or rubbery mushrooms, so it's best to monitor their doneness as you cook.

Cooking the veggies down before adding the meat is a must in order to bring out their meaty texture and umami-rich flavor. What is this? Once the mushrooms and onions are sautéed until golden brown, the meat is added and cooked as you normally cook ground beef.

"Medium-high heat is the way to go with mushrooms. You want their liquids to slowly evaporate while they caramelize," says Norton. High heat can burn mushrooms, while low heat will make them cook in their own liquid, she says. You also want to be mindful of the pan.