Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Petra Kupská

Jump to Recipe

Hurry up to the table everyone, I will serve the Czech lentil soup any minute! We call it čočková polévka in the Czech Republic, and this soup tastes amazingly delicious.

Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs (1)

Table of Contents hide

What Is Czech Lentil Soup

Ingredients

Instructions with Photos

Serving

Cook's Tips

Fun Fact

Czech Lentil Soup

What Is Czech Lentil Soup

Czechs make their traditional lentil soup from green lentils. Other essential ingredients are fried smoked sausage, garlic, onions, and sometimes carrot or potatoes. The soup includes marjoram, a typical Czech spice.

We call this soup "čočková polévka" or for short "čočkovka."

Tip: If you like legume soups, be sure to try Frozen pea soup (in Czech "hrášková polévka").

Ingredients

Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs (2)

You'll need only a few simple ingredients to cook this texture-rich soup, full of earthy flavors.

  • Lentils; in the Czech, we use the green-brown lentils, which are commonly available in all stores
  • Smoked sausage; this kind in the picture is a Czech style "ostravská klobása", or "polish kielbasa". Optionally, use any heavenly smelling smoked meat.
  • Onions; classic yellow onions
  • Cloves of garlic
  • Salt and ground pepper
  • Dried marjoram; a crucial spice in many Czech soups
  • Lard; or vegetable oil (sunflower- or canola oil)
  • Beef broth; for a rich flavor of the soup

Instructions with Photos

STEP 1: First, cook the lentils according to the producer's instructions. The fastest and easiest way to get the lentil soup ready is to get pre-cooked lentils.

Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs (3)

STEP 2: Peel garlic, onions, and carrots. Slice garlic into thin pieces, chop onions roughly. Cut carrots lengthwise and slice into half-circles. Dice smoked sausage into 1/2-inch pieces.

STEP 3: In a pot with a thicker bottom, melt lard over medium heat until shimmering. Start frying the prepared ingredients in this order:

  • Add carrots, fry while stirring for about 5 minutes (photo 1). Throw in smoked sausage. Fry for another 3-5 minutes (photo 2).
Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs (4)
  • Add onions, sauté for 1 minute until translucent(photo 3). As the last step, add sliced garlic and fry for 1 minute, but not longer, else garlic gets brown and will taste bitter (photo 4).
Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs (5)

STEP 4: Add 2/3 of cooked lentils.Reserve 1 cup of broth, pour the rest in the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a minimum, let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.

STEP 5: Meantime, mix the 1/3 of remaining lentils with 1 cup of broth with an immerse mixer. Add in the pot.

Add dried marjoram (always at the end of cooking), stir well, and you're done!

Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs (6)

Serving

Serve this lentil soup warm. Top the soup with chopped green parsley leaves while serving.

According to this recipe, lentil soup is light and not too filling, take a slice of bread if you are hungry or if this soup is supposed to be the main course.

Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs (7)

Cook's Tips

  • Especially in winter months, Czechs thicken their "čočková polévka" with a roux. It's made from flour fried with butter in the same ratio. I will post a lentil soup recipe thickened with a roux here soon.
  • Creamy or chunky? Make a chunky or creamy soup simply by pureeing all the lentils or only a portion, as I described in this recipe.

Fun Fact

Czechs eat lentil soup on the first day of the new year. They believe that the amount of lentils in the soup is equal to the money they'll have in the new year.

More Czech soups:

  • Kulajda – a famous Czech mushroom soup
  • Cauliflover soup – easy soup made from cauliflower (květáková polévka)
  • Česnečka – clear garlic soup

Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs (8)

Czech Lentil Soup

Please hurry up to my table everybody, I will serve the Czech lentil soup any minute! We call it čočková polévka in the Czech Republic, and this soup tastes amazingly delicious!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 5

Author: Petra Kupská

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Czech

Keyword: easy soups, lentil recipes

Ingredients

  • 1 and ¼ cups (250 g) dried lentils green / brown
  • 5 oz (140 g) smoked sausage
  • 1 carrot mid-sized
  • 1 onion large, or 2 small
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • salt
  • pepper ground
  • 1 tsp dried marjroram
  • 6 cups (1.44 l) beef broth

Instructions

  • First, cook the lentils according to the producer's instructions. The fastest and easiest way to get the lentil soup ready is to get pre-cooked lentils.

  • Peel garlic, onions, and carrots. Slice garlic into thin pieces, chop onions roughly. Cut carrots lengthwise and slice into half-circles. Dice smoked sausage into ½-inch pieces.

  • In a pot with a thicker bottom, melt lard over medium heat until shimmering. Start frying the prepared ingredients in this order:

  • Add carrots, fry while stirring for about 5 minutes.

  • Throw in smoked sausage. Fry for another 3-5 minutes.

  • Add onions, sauté for 1 minute until translucent.

  • As the last step, add sliced garlic and fry for 1 minute, but not longer, else garlic gets brown and will taste bitter.

  • Add ⅔ of cooked lentils. Reserve 1 cup of broth, pour the rest in the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a minimum, let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.

  • Meantime, mix the ⅓ of remaining lentils with 1 cup of broth with an immerse mixer. Add in the pot.

  • Add dried marjoram (always at the end of cooking), stir well, and you're done!

Notes

  1. Makes 5-6 yields.
  2. Serve this lentil soup warm. Top the soup with chopped green parsley leaves while serving.
  3. According to this recipe, lentil soup is light and not too filling, take a slice of bread if you are hungry or if this soup is supposed as a lunch.
  4. The time necessary for cooking lentils is not in Total Time included. Every kind of lentils needs a different amount of time to be done.
  5. Especially in winter months, Czech thickens their "čočková polévka" with a roux. It's made from flour fried with butter in the same ratio.
  6. Czechs eat lentil soups on the first day of the new year. They believe, how many grains of lentils are in the soup, that's how much money they'll have in the new year.

DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

Conversion chart

Nutrition Disclosure

Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.

More from Czech Soup Recipes

  • Spicy Oyster Mushroom Soup
  • Wallachian Kyselica Soup
  • Beef Tripe Soup (Czech Drstkova polevka)
  • Fresh Tomato Soup Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melody

    Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs (13)
    One of my favorite soup recipes of yours! Thank you so much for sharing it! It is so perfectly yummy and I love it with some rye bread on the side.

    Reply

    • Petra Kupská

      Thank you, Melody, for your nice words! 🙂 I am happy you enjoyed the soup.

      Reply

  2. Kristi

    My Mom always made this with braised lamb shank. Have you ever tried that?

    Reply

    • Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com

      The lamb shank certainly sounds very interesting, unfortunately I haven't had the chance to try it. In the Czech Republic, sausages (parky) or smoked meat (uzene maso) are most popularly used in lentil soup.

      Reply

Leave a star rating and review or ask a question!

Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs (2024)

FAQs

Czech Lentil Soup Recipe (Čočková polévka) - Cook Like Czechs? ›

Lentil soup is a dish you can find in most countries around the world, you can get it from Scotland, to China, to Srilanka, but few places give it such high regard as the Middle East. In the Middle East it's extremely popular, and you can get it at restaurants and even takeaways all over the region.

What nationality is lentil soup? ›

Lentil soup is a dish you can find in most countries around the world, you can get it from Scotland, to China, to Srilanka, but few places give it such high regard as the Middle East. In the Middle East it's extremely popular, and you can get it at restaurants and even takeaways all over the region.

Do you need to soak lentils for soup? ›

The other good news: Lentils don't need to soak as beans do (though you do need to sort and rinse them before cooking). Different types of lentils cook in different amounts of time. Red lentils are the fastest cooking and they dissolve as they cook and make for a smooth soup.

Why is my lentil soup not thick? ›

Cook It Longer

Sometimes soup just needs to simmer longer to reach the perfect consistency. Check to see if the vegetables are tender, and then taste the broth. If the soup tastes a bit watery, give it more time.

What countries eat lentil soup? ›

Dehulled yellow and red lentils disintegrate in cooking, making a thick soup. It is a staple food throughout Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

Which country eats the most lentils? ›

In India, where roughly half of the world's lentils are consumed, cultivation dates back to 2500 B.C. Today, more than 50 different varieties are grown. Nearly every traditional Indian meal includes at least one lentil dish, and they are an important source of nutrients for millions of vegetarians on the subcontinent.

Is it OK to eat lentils everyday? ›

Eating half a cup of cooked lentils gives you lots of essential nutrients and their high fiber content makes you feel full. However, the fiber in lentils can be hard for your body to break down. Eating too many lentils can cause gas, bloating, and cramping.

Can you overcook lentils in soup? ›

Yes, you can overcook lentils; they will become mushy. Much depends on the type of lentil you're using. Some cook quicker and hold their shape better than others. To avoid overcooking them, always follow the cooking directions in your recipe and use the type of lentils called for in the ingredient list.

Why did my lentil soup turn brown? ›

As the veggies hit the boiling water, volatile acids are released into the water and are carried away in the steam. When the pot is covered, the steam and the acids it contains are forced back into the water. Once there, the acids react with the chlorophyll in the vegetables, turning them an unsightly shade of brown.

What happens if you don't rinse lentils? ›

You're fine to eat unrinsed lentils. The only real reason to rinse it to remove possible dirt, and perhaps a tad of starch.

Why did my lentil soup turn black? ›

the color change you've observed is from oxidation. If you want to prevent this, lay some plastic wrap over the surface of your lentils to prevent air from getting to them, or add some acid, like lime juice, to the recipe.

Why is my lentil soup tasteless? ›

Maybe try adding some salt for better flavour. The only type of lentils you shouldn't have is raw lentils, since that would probably make you sick. What are some simple recipes with lentils that don't taste bland? I love lentil soup with different spice blends, like yellow curry or Harissa.

What thickens lentil soup? ›

You can also use flour or cornflour to thicken a soup. Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer.

What ethnic group eats lentils? ›

Lentil dishes are most widespread throughout South Asia, the Mediterranean regions, West Asia, and Latin America. In the Indian subcontinent, Fiji, Mauritius, Singapore and the Caribbean, lentil curry is part of the everyday diet, eaten with both rice and roti.

Which country eat the most soup? ›

Russians consume the most soup on average in the world, with approximately 32 kg per person per year. The statistic states that, on average, Russians consume the highest amount of soup compared to any other country in the world. This is quantified by an approximate consumption rate of 32 kilograms per person per year.

Where are the best lentils in the world? ›

Canadian lentils are regarded as the gold standard around the world. As the world's largest producer and exporter of lentils, Canadian Lentils are exported to places like India, Turkey, Bangladesh, UAE, Egypt, and Algeria where lentils are staple foods.

Where are lentils native to? ›

They are a type of legume that is native to Western Asia and North America. Lentils are one of the earliest domesticated crops, seen in the diets of ancient Rome and Egypt. Many countries enjoy lentils as a dietary staple, as they offer an earthy, mild, nutty flavor that works well in various recipes.

Is lentil an ethnic food? ›

Red and Yellow Lentils

With a sweeter flavor, these lentils are commonly utilized in Indian and Middle Eastern dishes. Although they are quick to prepare, they are more prone to lose their texture after being cooked.

Are lentils from Italy? ›

There are traces of this crop in Inda, Egypt, Greece and Italy that date back 13'000 years BC! They belong to the legume family and are very rich in proteins. In fact, many choose them – and other legumes such as beans, chickpeas, peas and so on – as a replacement of meat.

What region are lentils from? ›

Lentils originate from Southwest Asia's countries (Turkey, Syria, Iraq), from where they quickly spread to the Mediterranean countries, including Spain. The oldest remains of their cultivation date back to 6,600 BC, making them one of the oldest foods cultivated by man, almost 9,000 years old.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Madonna Wisozk

Last Updated:

Views: 6135

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Madonna Wisozk

Birthday: 2001-02-23

Address: 656 Gerhold Summit, Sidneyberg, FL 78179-2512

Phone: +6742282696652

Job: Customer Banking Liaison

Hobby: Flower arranging, Yo-yoing, Tai chi, Rowing, Macrame, Urban exploration, Knife making

Introduction: My name is Madonna Wisozk, I am a attractive, healthy, thoughtful, faithful, open, vivacious, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.