Classic Italian Style Lentils (New Year Tradition)

You don’t want to miss this classic Italian-style Lentil recipe (a New Year Tradition)! Italians eat lentils for New Year for good luck. Make this easy, nutritious vegetarian recipe all year long!

If you want prosperity and good luck in the coming year- you must eat these lentils on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day! Serve with no knead bread, and enjoy.

Classic Italian Style Lentils for New Year’s Eve

It’s a tradition to eat lentils for New Year’s Eve. We make this recipe for all seasons of the year.

The little coin-shaped legumes bring good fortune in the form of money. They are served on the last day of the year to bring good luck for the upcoming year. They are sometimes served with cotechino, a boiled sausage typical in northern Italy.

We make it with and without our home’s cotechino (sausage). This is a vegetarian version of the recipe without meat. You can always add the sausage on top if desired.

Simple Ingredients

• Dried brown lentils
• Onion
• Carrot
• Celery
• Olive oil
• Bay Leaf
• Rosemary
• Thyme 
• Tomato paste
• Water
• Salt
• Parsley (garnish)

How to Make Classic Italian-Style Lentils

Follow the step-by-step photos and see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for more instructions.

Simple Italian Lentils Recipe starts with a Soffritto.

Make the Soup

Trust me, friends, you will want to make this filling and satisfying lentil recipe. Once you do, it will be a recipe go-to!

Lentil Variety

Brown and green lentils are typically used to make this stew, as they are firm and retain their shape when cooking.

Red or yellow lentils are softer and cook faster. For this soup, they tend to fall apart and sort of dissolve into the soup. You can still use the orange variety, but it will change the consistency.

You will also love our Italian sausage lentil soup!

Health Benefits of Lentils

Lentils are considered a superfood. They are an excellent source of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. They’re also a great source of plant-based protein and fiber. Try adding them to your diet.

Another way I enjoy lentils is over a thick slice of no knead bread and a fried egg. You can make this a breakfast/ brunch item OR a tasty dinner!

Try this recipe Lentils Toast with Fried Egg Tasty lentil stew scooped over hearty bread and topped with a perfectly cooked egg are your brunch and dinner dreams! Simple, nutritious, and delicious. Don’t wait to make it. 

How to Store Cooked Lentils

Lentils are a great make-ahead meal! After lentils are cooked: cover and refrigerate within two hours of cooking.

Dried lentils that have been cooked can be kept in the fridge for 5-7 days or frozen for up to 6 months.

Label with the date and store in an air-tight container made for freezing food. Having lentils in the freezer makes them easy to add to any meal.

The bay leaf and herbs add a savory flavor that makes this dish hearty and delicious!

Italian Soup Recipes

Fill up your soup bowls and prepare a meal the whole family will love.

More Italian soups you’ll love: Italian Pastina Soup Recipe (with Chicken broth), Classic Italian Minestrone Soup, Blender Tomato Soup Recipe (Vitamix), Pasta e Ceci (Italian Pasta with Chickpea Soup),and BEST Bacon, Potato, and Kale Zuppa Toscana.

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5 from 18 votes

Italian Lentils – New Years Classic

By: Elena Davis

Servings: 4 servings

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 35 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

SaveSaved Pin Rate Print

Italian Lentil Soup Recipe: Simply Delicious. This hearty Italian Lentil Recipe is not only easy to make but healthy and delicious as well. One bowl is never enough!  It's also great served in other ways!

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 ½ cups dried brown lentils, 250 grams
• ▢ 1 onion, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 carrot, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• ▢ 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 1 sprig rosemary
• ▢ 1 sprig thyme
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 5 cups water
• ▢ 1 pinch salt
• ▢ 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped for serving

Instructions 

• Place the onion, carrot, and celery in a large saucepan or soup pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté gently on low heat until the vegetables are very soft and the onion is somewhat translucent, but not colored. Add the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, tomato paste, dry lentils, and 5 cups of water.
• Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but retain their shape (this can take as little as 20 minutes to upwards of 35 minutes, depending on the lentils. I know that seems like a big time difference but all dried beans cook a little differently).
• Keep checking them and add more water if necessary. Add salt to taste only once the lentils are tender, otherwise, they will remain tough. Stir through the chopped parsley and serve as you like (see notes for ideas).

Notes

Lentils are delicious topped with eggs, eaten as a vegetarian ragu, served on top of crusty bread, served on top of a green salad and more! Don’t let New Years be the only time you make these classic Italian lentils. Keep up the good luck all year around!

Nutrition

Calories: 373kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 19gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 112mgPotassium: 891mgFiber: 23gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2842IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

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