This traditional Spanish lentil stew recipe (Spanish lentejas) is the real deal! With chunks of chorizo and pork belly, it's incredibly flavourful and easy to make following some simple steps. Recipe from my mum, I promise this authentic Spanish recipe it's THE BEST!
Growing up in Spain, my mum would always cook this Spanish lentil stew (sopa de lentejas) on cold days. We say "lentejas, o las tomas o las dejas", which means "lentils, you eat them or you leave them". I was an eater, they're the best thing!
For another cozy Spanish soup try this Spanish chicken soup. And for more traditional Spanish recipes, you might also want to try this Spanish meatball family recipe, this Hake recipe with red peppers sauce, this Spanish pork chop recipe or this Spanish tortilla made healthy.
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Ingredients
All the ingredients for this hearty lentil soup can easily be found in the grocery store!
- Leek sliced
- Carrot diced in small cubes
- Red pepper diced in small cubes
- Green pepper diced in small cubes
- Garlic cloves (peeled but whole)
- Potatoes cut into big chunks
- Brown lentils**
- Pork belly
- Regular or spicy chorizo
- Bay leaf
- Paprika (smoked paprika or sweet paprika)
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Olive oil for cooking
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make This Spanish Lentil Stew
Preparing this traditional Spanish lentil stew is really easy following the instructions below.
Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a large pot on medium heat. You should cover the entire base with approx. ½ cm of oil. Add the leek, green & red pepper, carrot, salt & pepper, and stir well to combine. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the veggies are soft.
While the veggies are cooking, soak the lentils.
Rinse the lentils.
Add the rest of the ingredients: soaked lentils, garlic cloves, potatoes, chorizo, pork belly, bay leaves, paprika and salt to the pot. Fill up with cold water. Make sure there is enough water, the water should be around 2 fingers above all the ingredients. Stir well to combine, set the stove in high heat, and cover with a lid.
Once it starts boiling, lower to medium heat and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Check that the lentils are cooked, and if necessary cook for a bit longer.
Take out of the pot the chorizo and pork belly. In a chopping board, cut the chorizo in bite-size chunks, and the pork belly in small pieces. I recommend discarding the fat of the pork belly.
Put all the meat back into the pot, combine, and enjoy!!
Hint: After 45 minutes of cooking time, I recommend trying the lentils to see how cooked they are. Don't overcook them, or they will end up mushy. Add more water if required to adjust the amount of liquid of the stew.
Substitutions & Variations
- Make it vegetarian - don't add the chorizo and pork belly. You can add a larger quantity of veggies. Other veggies like zucchini and mushroom work great too.
- Add yellow onion - this recipe doesn't use onion, however is always a good addition.
- Meat - if you're to skip one type of meat, I recommend skipping the pork belly. The chorizo is key in the flavour of this stew.
- Ground cumin - it's also a good addition
Why This Is The Best Lentil Soup Recipe!
- It's a classic Spanish food that will take you to the aromas of Spain! The combo of chorizo, pork belly and Spanish paprika is hard to beat.
- Super hearty dish!
- Budget friendly recipe to feed the whole family or a crowd
- Perfect for meal prep and ideal to make big batches. Lasts almost a week in the fridge.
Equipment
All you need to make this Spanish soup is...
- Sharp knife and chopping board
- Large pot with lid - you can also use a large dutch oven or pressure cooker
- Timber spatula
- Ladle to serve
Storage
Leftovers? Happy days! This is the kind of dish that gets better as it sits in the fridge. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This dish is suitable for freezing without the potatoes (the texture of defrost cooked potatoes is horrible!). Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Top Tip To Make The Best Lentil And Chorizo Stew!
A good chorizo is key! It gives so much flavour to the stew. Source a good one from your local butcher or quality supermarket.
The cooking time of this recipe might depend on the type and quality of the lentils you use. After 45 minutes of cooking time, I recommend trying the lentils to see how cooked they are. Don't overcook them, or they will end up mushy. Add more water if required to adjust the amount of liquid of the stew.
FAQ
I recommend soaking them. This can be done while you're cooking the veggies. 20 minutes is all you need. It helps to soften them and reduce the cooking time.
The traditional way to make this lentejas recipe is using brown lentils, however, you could also use green lentils or red lentils.
Depending on the type of lentils that you use, the cooking time will increase (for green lentils) or decrease (for red lentils).
More Spanish Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
The Best Spanish Lentil Stew (Lentejas Recipe)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: Main course
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This traditional Spanish lentil stew recipe (Spanish lentejas) is the real deal! With chunks of chorizo and pork belly, it's incredibly flavourful and easy to make following some simple steps. Recipe from my mum, I promise this authentic Spanish recipe it's THE BEST!
Ingredients
3 cups of leek sliced
2 cups of carrot diced
1 cup of red pepper diced
1.5 cups of green pepper diced
7 garlic cloves peeled
2-3 large potatoes cut into big chunks
2 ⅓ cups of brown lentils
300 grams of pork belly
2 regular or spicy chorizos
2 bay leaves
½ tbsp of paprika
1-2 teaspoon salt
¼ tsp of ground pepper
Olive oil for cooking
Instructions
- Cook the veggies: Pour a generous amount of olive oil to a large pot on medium heat. You should cover the entire base with approx. ½ cm of oil. Add the leek, green & red capsicum, carrot, salt & pepper, and stir well to combine. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the veggies are soft. While the veggies are cooking, soak the lentils.
- Add all the ingredients: Rinse the lentils. Add the lentils, garlic cloves, potatoes, chorizo, pork belly, bay leaves, paprika and salt to the pot. Fill up with cold water. The water should be around 2 fingers above all the ingredients. Stir well to combine, and cover with a lid. Cook on medium heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Check that the lentils are cooked, and if necessary cook for a bit longer.
- Chop the meat: Take out of the pot the chorizo and pork belly. In a chopping board, cut the chorizo in bite-size chunks, and the pork belly in small pieces. I recommend discarding the fat of the pork belly.
- Put all the meat back into the pot, combine, and enjoy!!
Notes
The cooking time of this recipe might depend on the type and quality of the lentils you use. After 45 minutes of cooking time, I recommend trying the lentils to see how cooked they are. Add more water if required.
Leftovers? Happy days! This is the kind of dish that gets better as it sits in the fridge. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This dish is suitable for freezing without the potatoes (the texture of defrost cooked potatoes is horrible!). Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Bob Davidson says
Tried for the first time, in Spain. Loved it. Found this receipe and tried making it at home. As tasty as the Spanish restaurant we ate in. Superb, easy to make stew. Thank You Ali.
alicia gonzalez tome says
Thanks so much for your comment Bob! Makes my day to see you loved the recipe 🙂
Marta says
súper, ñam ñam, qué pintaza!!!
Ester says
So tasty! I really like it with the chorizo and veggies, it gives such a perfect taste 🙂
Joseba says
Really delicious! I loved the combination of vegetables, lentils and pork.
Struart says
This is the most flavourful lentil stew I've ever made!! My kids LOVED IT!! Very easy to make too, the type of let cook and forget kind of recipe. Will make again for sure.