This is one of those recipes that, after I had eaten my share of it, I was still sneaking bites as I was putting it away. Then again, I've hardly eaten all day. Really tasty, hearty and filling. I made quite a few modifications: added 2 large cloves of garlic, minced; used the whole can of tomato sauce; added sliced crimini mushrooms and chopped carrots, since I needed to use them up; also added about a half pint of chopped grape tomatoes, since they were getting old; included cumin with the italian seasoning, salt and pepper; let simmer for about 1 hr 15 min. The result is very tasty and possibly has more flavor than the original recipe. I added the cumin based on another recipe for lentil soup on this site. I think that it was a great addition.

Very good. Could add polish sausage. Add dolop of sour cream when serving.

My 1st ever attempt at making Lentil's. WOW - this soup is really good. I made 2 small changes ... veg broth to replace beef & Caribbean Jerk Seasoning to replace Italian Seasoning. Otherwise followed exactly. Very GOOD, Thanks!!

Fallowing some of the reviews, I added three garlic cloves to the onions, and also added a cup and a half of chopped baby carrots. Some of the reviews said that the soup didn't have enough broth, so I added a cup and a half more of broth. I waited about half an hour before putting in the seasoning and the tomato soup (didn't have any tomato sauce on hand). Didn't add any salt/pepper. Turned out pretty good! I'm sure the recipe would be just as tasty without the additions that I made.

I love Lentil Soup! However, I leave out the beef broth, use Kielbasa (Polish sausage) cut into bite size slices and while the lentils and sausage are simmering in the pot I sauteé the onion in olive oil, put the cooked onion in the lentils and add 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce. Delicious!

We just had this for dinner tonight. I took everyone else's suggestions. I put 1# lentils, chopped onion, 1 lg carrot chopped, 2 stalks celery, fresh garlic chopped into a pan and added 6 cups of veg.broth made from Better than Bouillion plus 2 cups water, brought to boil then simmered for almost an hour. I also added some chilli powder, extra garlic granules, and cayenne pepper. The pepper was added at the end along with a small can of tomato sauce. I didn't measure the spices other than visually, maybe a 1/4 tsp cayenne and a 1 tsp chilli powder. We have enough left for one more family meal and two individual meals for lunches. This was very fast and easy to make and will definitely be making it again. Oh, I added a T. of sour cream to each bowl when it was served. Very GOOD!

I took the suggestions from the last reviewer. I also added spinich and didn't put in the italian seasoning. It turned out GREAT!!!

OK, I took great liberties with this recipe because I didn't feel like going to the store, and it turned out to be ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Instead of the beef broth and onions, I used a can of French onion soup and a can of water, and instead of the tomato sauce, I added a can of "Soup At Hand" (microwavable ready-to-eat) classic tomato soup. I also added a teaspoon of fennel seeds to the standard Italian seasonings and some red pepper flakes for a little spiciness. I also chopped up about 1/2 a cup each of celery and carrots and added it into the mix. The result was amazing--a rich, thick lentil soup with more flavor than most restaurant soups!

Fabulous base recipe. Even better if you doctor it up. I usually add a couple of chopped carrots, celery, and garlic cloves to saute with the onions. Then add some chopped smoked sausage at the end. I omit the italian seasoning if I add sausage. This has become my new favorite soup. Hearty and delish!

Good flavor. I found that sour cream is an excellent topper.

This soup was so good! I also added garlic and a little bit of cayenne pepper powder because I like spice. My husband loves this and so does my 11 yo daughter. It's delicious and great for these winter months

Was very good. Simple and hearty. I will double the recipe next time as I like to make meals stretch for 2 nights!

This is a wonderful base for lentil soup, but I upped flavor and healthy ingredients as well a the servings to 12 to adjust for the small 1 lb pkg of lentils which contains about 2 cups. I then added 6 cloves garlic with the onion when the onion was half done to avoid burning the garlic, 1 lb Italian sausage, 1 pkg dry Italian dressing seasoning mix, a dash of red wine vinegar, chopped carrots and celery, 4 cups chopped fresh spinach and used my own plain chicken stock I always save in my freezer left over from simmering chicken for other uses. As suggested I added tomatoe sauce to taste after the lentils were cooked to avoid clowing the cooking time. I served with some crusty garlic whole grain bread. Since I increased the amount I planned to freeze leftovers for future meals but the family ate every bite and clammored for more. Its now a family favorite and I have to make two batches if I want to try to freeze some for nights when I don't have the time to cook, putting it from the freezer to low in the crockpot to have it hot and simmering by dinner.

I give this 5 stars because it's easy, healthy and my 6 yr old and 13 yr old both liked it enough for "healthy" soup they eat it!! Per other suggestions, I used vegy broth instead of beef, I finely chopped up two carrots and added when I put the lentils in, and I doubled the amount of tomato sauce and didn't add it until the very end. Thank you for the recipe - I am adding to my recipe box!!

Great!! With the following changes: Added some garlic. Used vegetable broth instead of beef. Doubled the tomato sauce.

This came out awesome! I’m sure the recipe is 5* as is but I did change the following based on reviews and my own personal preferences. Sautéed onions with 4 cloves garlic, added ½ cup shredded baby carrots & ½ cup finely chopped celery. Added 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder a pinch of cumin and a little cayenne pepper. Doubled the tomato sauce, and didn’t add tomato sauce till close to the end as suggested by other reviewers.

Great recipe - easy to make and very popular. I scaled this up to cook for 72 people and it scaled perfectly. Everyone loved it (apart from a few who didn't like lentils!) Was a bit tomatoey for my taste (I used passata rather than tomato sauce - not sure if its the same thing) but if you loaded it with parmesan cheese it was fantastic. Served nearly 100 litres of it and it all got eaten! Only other change I made was to use veg stock rather than beef so it could be suitable for vegetarians. we've made it a few times since and one nice variant was to add a load of beef mince to it.

First time I am making lentils--great recipe. I tweaked a bit as well; sauteed tablespoon of garlic with the onion, used an entire 8oz can of tomato sauce and used 6 cups of broth as well. Delish!!

Woo hoo. Hits the spot. I did change the recipe a bit. I used split red lentils, 2 carrots, 2 boats of celery, 4 radishes, and 4 cloves of garlic because I didnt have any onions. I boiled 2 vegetable boulions in 4 cups of water ( I'm vegan) which gave a lot of flavor. Very good! I will make it again soon!

I used chicken bouillon to water since I didn't have any broth on hand. I did have to use a little extra water for more of a soupy consistency. As another reviewer suggested, I added the tomato sauce much later to the cooking process so that the lentils would cook faster (I understand that it has something to do with the acidity). This tastes kind of like Progresso Lentil Soup only much better! Thanks for this recipe!