Name: Lentil Soup with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 135 min
Ingredients: 1⅔ cups cubed, peeled sweet potato; 1⅔ cups cubed, peeled parsnip; 1⅔ cups cubed, peeled carrot; 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, (divided); 2 tablespoons olive oil; ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt; 4 ounces (1 cup) chopped pancetta; 1 cup chopped shallots ((about 6 large)); 1 cup chopped red onion; 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; ½ teaspoon black pepper; ¼ cup dry white wine; 1¼ cups dried lentils; 8 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, (divided); 8 cups Swiss chard, (trimmed and chopped (about 9 ounces))

This Lentil Soup with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables is one of my favorite soup recipes from Cooking Light.

bowl of lentil soup

If you’re thinking that this soup looks quite thick, you’re definitely right! It’s really more of a stew than a soup. Add more broth if you want it more soupy. And it’s a lentil soup that tastes better with age. Make it one day, and enjoy it the next. It’s a hearty, full of veggies and lentils kind of soup!

Table of Contents

Ingredients needed:

sweet potato
parsnip
carrot
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
pancetta
shallots
red onion
fresh thyme
garlic
white wine
dried lentils
chicken broth
Swiss chard
salt and pepper

How to make Lentil Soup with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables:

The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post. You will need a Dutch oven (or large pot) and a rimmed baking sheet for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

The first step is roasting the vegetables.Combine the sweet potato, parsnip, carrot, 2 tablespoons vinegar, oil and salt in a large bowl; toss well. Arrange the vegetable mixture in a single layer on a large foil-lined rimmed baking sheet; bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Set aside when finished roasting.

Cook the pancetta in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 8 minutes or until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add the shallots and onion to the drippings in the pan; cook 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, thyme, garlic, and pepper; cook for about 1 minute. Add the wine, scraping the pan to loosen the browned bits. Add the pancetta, lentils and 5 cups broth to pan. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Add the remaining 3 cups broth and roasted vegetables to the pan, and simmer 15 minutes, uncovered. Add the chard, and cook 2 minutes or until wilted.

As mentioned before, this soup tastes better when made one day and eaten the next. If you plan to make it that way, add the chard to the soup on the 2nd day when ready to serve. That will help the chard to maintain its bright color.

To make this soup gluten free, just be sure to use a brand of broth that is known to be gluten-free. If making this soup as Vegetarian, leave out the pancetta (or use a veggie-based meat substitute) and use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.

This Lentil Soup with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables is full of good-for-you ingredients. It’s filling and wonderful, and leftovers are good too. And, if you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card at the end of this post. Enjoy!

Ingredient substitution suggestions:

substitute red or white potatoes for the sweet potatoes
substitute butternut squash or rutabaga for the parsnips
use red wine instead of white wine
try using bacon in place of pancetta
vegetable broth may be used in place of chicken broth
use spinach in place of Swiss chard

Here are a few more soup recipes you might like to try:

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5 from 2 votes