Tomato-Lentil Soup With Goat Cheese Recipe (2024)

This is a keeper! So much flavor from relatively few ingredients. I made some substitutions just based on what I had — feta instead of goat cheese, paprika gochugaru instead of red pepper flakes, extra thyme and oregano because I didn’t have coriander. Added diced shallot in with the garlic. This recipe was the tipping point for me ordering Ali Slagle‘s cookbook. :)

This was really nice, and very quick and easy to make. I have one quibble with the suggested presentation: it seems silly to add the goat cheese and zest to the pot THEN ladle it into serving bowls. Doing so will not give you the nice presentation you see in the photo. Rather: ladle the soup into bowls, then add the goat cheese and zest. That small amount of cheese will not cause the soup to get cold, and the cheese will warm through enough by the time you bring the bowls to the table.

This was very easy to make and had great complex flavor. I cooked the butter and tomato too much in the first step, not sure if this is where the smoky complex flavor came from, tasters reported that it tasted like there was meat in it, or smoked paprika. Made it with roasted cauliflower and some garlic bread, was a cozy and delicious winter meal.

This really was easy and came together pretty quickly. I was in a rush so didn't take the time to do the last steps with the lemon zest and herbs. Instead I squeezed some fresh lemon into the pot and bought herbed goat cheese. It was perfect and filling with and without the goat cheese. (I didn't really see a difference with the color of the tomato paste but stirred it for the full 4 minutes to make sure the flavors had a chance to blend together).

So simple, inexpensive, and delicious with a depth of flavor. I did not have goat cheese on hand, so I spooned a dollop of cottage cheese directly into my bowl (vs the directive to put cheese pieces in the soup pot and recover), then put the lemon zest mix on top. So, so good.

Excellent - lovely to make something so delicious straight from store cupboard ingredients. I went a little heavier on the za'atar and added a good dollop of rose harissa in place of the red-pepper flakes, as that's what I had to hand.

Wow! Cheap, fast, and delicious! I bet it’d be great with chard thrown in as well.

As everyone has said, easy recipe, and that’s great some nights. Subbed feta cheese and sprinkled fresh basil ribbons. Used Italian herb profile. A loaf of crusty bread (homemade or not), a green salad, and we have a meal!

Quick and easy and so delicious ! I used feta because that’s what I had. A perfect meal with homemade sourdough bread.

I made this with Za’aatar and topped with feta. I followed the recommendations of others and added shallots with the onions - divine. Such complex flavors and textures. Will make again!

I'm vegan, so I will make it without the goat cheese. And I always eat tomato soup by itself; what's wrong with that?

Because it's supposed to be mushy.

Even if you skip the lemon zest and herb topping for the cheese, this is a first-rate recipe. I don’t even like lentils but I’ve eaten this for two weeks straight at lunch.

You're overthinking it—in the US coriander refers to the dried seeds (hence it being "ground" for the recipe) and cilantro refers to the leafy herb. The seeds tend to taste a little citrusy. The leaves more herby and green. The recipe calls for the seeds (coriander), but i bet some chopped leaves (cilantro) would be a tasty addition as a garnish.

If you don't like the lemon/spice mixture, don't use it. The rest of us like it.

Okayyyy this is the recipe that finally got me to comment. I bookmarked this soup ages ago and kept writing it off because it seemed too simple. Well, I finally made it and WOW it’s fantastic. I do not understand how the flavor can be so complex, given how few ingredients are in this soup and how easy it was to prepare. I used za’atar and served it with a crusty, seeded bread. I’m eating it right now and it’s filling me with joy, this is a winner!

This is perfect as written. Made it Christmas Eve and the vegetarians asked for the recipe. Now it is spring and I will make it again tonight. I will serve it with a shrimp, egg, and avocado salad on mixed greens. It will work in all seasons. A real winner. Do let the lentils take time to dissolve quite a bit.

So simple. So delicious. And honestly, so unexpectedly good- I don’t think I’d ever have put these ingredients together (I love to cook but I’m not a chef). A true leap in faith in the recipe. It blew me and my veggie friend away.

This couldn’t be easier to pull together. I did add a diced yellow onion at the beginning. I forgot to squeeze the lemon juice over the soup until I was half way done with the bowl, and it was still good. I used zaatar for my dried herbs. Great with a side salad and mozzarella grilled cheese. Definitely a dish that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

I wasn’t a fan of the texture so I hit it with my immersion blender. Then it was more like thick tomato soup and less like runny lentil soup. Perfect!

The soup was good. The goat cheese "medallions" with lemon zest and herbs were amazing! I'll be floating those on many soups and stews and anything else that could use a little wow. Ali Slagle rocks -- again.

We added shredded kale at Step 2 (because it was in the fridge and needed to be used). Nice addition.

Tasty and very easy to make!

Made this for a crowd of 8 yesterday. Doubled the lentils and used around 6-7 cups of water. Used about a teaspoon of harissa in place of red pepper flakes in the soup. The cheese adds so much. Definitely a keeper

So we got confused and started chopping onions before making the recipe but decided to throw them in anyway and it was delicious! We went with the Za’atar, and subbed lemons for limes. Just inspirations for people who want to switch things up.

Wow, definitely making this one again! It’s like a cross between marinara sauce and daal in a way I didn’t know I needed. Very simple, flavorful, and filling.

This is a truly delicious soup! I upped the veggie content by adding carrots, zucchini, and cauliflower, all cut into small pieces. In place of all water, I used half water, half veggie broth and increased the total amount to compensate for the added veggies. There was a small bowl of leftover pasta that got added at the end. Now hubby and I have two more amazing meals!

So easy, so versatile, so flavorful! I skipped the goat cheese & lemon zest topping and instead topped with rice & zhug, plus some sauteed onion with red cabbage to get some veggies.

Delicious and simple! So much flavor from so few—and accessible—ingredients. This is a keeper. I used Italian seasoning but look forward to trying za’atar next time.

This was really great, with few ingredients and little time! I did make some adjustments based on other comments. Halved for 2 people (we got just over 2 servings); added half a diced onion with the garlic to the butter before adding spices and paste; used veg stock instead of water; and added cheese and zest to individual bowls. Perfect for a cold winter day, with some crusty bread! A keeper!