Fakes Soupa (Greek Lentil Soup)

Fakes Soupa is a Greek lentil soup is incredibly hearty and flavorful, is sure to warm you up on a cool winter night.

Fakes Soupa

Fakes (pronounced fak-hés) is an ancient Greek comfort food. Traditionally, the soup has a small list of ingredients. Lentils, onions, garlic, bay leaves, olive oil, and red wine vinegar are all you really need to create a hearty, flavorful, and quite satisfying soup.

Lentil soup is widely popular in Greece, particularly during the fall and winter months. It is a humble dish that is low-cost, but incredibly full of flavor and nutritious. Lentils are a good source of protein, fiber, iron, and potassium, making a great base for a sustaining soup.

Our Greek Lentil Soup Recipe

As with most dishes that have a longstanding tradition, each family will add their own twist to their Fakes.

We decided to take a more modern adaptation of the dish by adding carrots, celery, and extra herbs to the mix. Our version is considered a ‘red’ version of Fakes, since we also threw in some diced tomatoes.

Adding more veggies in the modern twist to the soup does round out the textures of the dish. (Which is a great way to make this soup more friendly for people who might not be the biggest fan of a strictly bean soup.)

Cooking Lentils For Lentil Soup

Keep in mind that your cooking time might vary depending on the type of lentils you use. We have even found that the same type of lentil cooks differently depending on where we get them from. If you can, check your soup occasionally to test the lentils for tenderness.

The wonderful things about the lentils in this soup is that the longer you cook them, the thicker the soup will get. So, if you like a soup with still slightly crisp lentils in broth, stop your soup a bit early. If you like your soup thick (more like a pea soup in consistency), then let it cook a little longer.

It is also a great soup for leftovers since the lentils will continue to break down as it is refrigerated overnight, creating a leftover dish that has a character and flavor all of its own.

Topping Your Greek Lentil Soup

And finally, the garnish!

We topped our soup with a lemon yogurt. The yogurt added a nice creaminess and brightness to the soup.

It is also common to top Fakes with feta cheese or kalamata olives.

No matter what topping you choose, don’t forget the red wine vinegar. The acidity of the vinegar adds a wonderful extra dimension of flavor to the dish.

More lentil recipes from around the world

If you love lentils, you will love these other recipes using lentils from other corners of the globe.

• Armenian Mshosh (lentil salad)
• Egyptian Kushari (pasta dish)
• Brazilian Lentil Soup with Kale
• Indian Broccoli Dal (Broccoli with Lentils)
• Lightened up Indian Dal Makhani (Kidney Bean and Lentil Stew)

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4.73 from 11 votes

Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes Soupa)

Fakes Soupa is a Greek lentil soup is incredibly hearty and flavorful, is sure to warm you up on a cool winter night.

Yield: 11 cups of soup

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: 5 people

Calories: 255kcal

Author: Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, diced small
• 3 carrots, diced small
• 2 celery stalks, diced small
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ c green lentils, dry
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, un-drained
• 4 c vegetable stock (low sodium)
• 2 c water
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 tsp dry
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 ½ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Toppings (optional)

• ¼ c plain yogurt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Feta cheese
• Kalamata olives

Instructions

• In a 3 qt soup pot, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.
• Add dried lentils, tomatoes, stock, water, parsley, bay, oregano, salt, pepper, and the remaining olive oil. Simmer, covered for 45 minutes.
• Just before serving, stir in the red wine vinegar to taste.

For the (optional) topping

• In a small bowl, mix together yogurt and lemon juice. Top soup with yogurt to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 39.4g | Protein: 13.5g | Fat: 5.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Sodium: 489mg | Fiber: 16.9g | Sugar: 5.8g

Sarah - Curious Cuisiniere

Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.

www.curiouscuisiniere.com/about/