Greek Lentil Soup, aka Fakes
You know how we tell our kids to be careful of their digital footprint? Well, I may have famously declared on Didn’t I Just Feed You — more than once, to literally thousands and thousands of people — that I’m not a soup person. But I love this dish from my childhood, and all I can say is that I hope that gives you even more reason to my Greek Lentil Soup.
The truth is that I’ve always liked some soups, this one included. And I also reserve the right to change my mind about soup, in general. But all of that is neither here nor there. Either you love lentil soup or you’re willing to give it a shot and, either way, this is the recipe you should try because it’s simple, delicious, quick cooking, and only calls for 7 affordable staple ingredients.
My goal was to replicated my yiayia’s fakes (fah-kehs) and I think I did a great job. Truth be told, it’s not all that tricky given how simple and straightforward the recipe is, in general. It also cooks up quickly, which I love: you get all the feels of a long-cooked dish in just about 30 minutes.
Two other great things about this recipe: it tastes even better on day two and it’s easy to cook in small or large batches (aka, if you like this but your family doesn’t, you can half the recipe to have a makes-you-happy dinner or personal lunch on hand for whenever you want to treat yourself).
I usually top this with Feta cheese, but sometimes I’ll saute loose sausage meat (sweet or hot Italian both work well) and add that to the soup as well.
Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes)
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
4 small to medium carrots, roughly chopped
1 large red onion, diced
2 cups brown lentils
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons Diamond kosher salt, plus more to taste
White wine (optional)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Add 1/2 cup of the oil to a large pot or Dutch oven (that has a lid) set over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, carrots, and onion and saute until the onions are translucent, the garlic starts to brown, and everything is fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the lentils, tomato paste, and bay leaf. Using a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, stir until the lentils are well coated and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add 2 quarts (8 cups) water and 2 teaspoons kosher salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, check on the soup and add a big splash of white wine, if using. If you feel like the soup is losing too much liquid, add anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup more water and/or reduce the heat for the last 10 minutes or so of cooking.
The soup is done when the lentils are tender but toothsome. If the soup is too liquidy, you can keep simmering it beyond 30 minutes, just be mindful that the lentils don’t get mushy. Once done, add the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil and red wine vinegar to the soup. Stir and taste to adjust seasoning. You’ll likely need to add more salt: I usually find that another 1 to 2 teaspoons does the trick. Serve warm, though keep in mind that this is even more delicious the next day.
