Cuban Lentil Soup Recipe (Potaje de Lentejas)

Name: Cuban Lentil Soup Recipe (Potaje de Lentejas)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 brown onion (chopped); ½ red bell pepper (chopped); ½ green bell pepper (chopped); 3 garlic cloves (minced); 1 tbsp tomato puree; 180 g dry brown or green lentils; 4-5 unsmoked bacon medallions; 1 ham hough (optional); 600 ml ham stock; ½ tsp ground cumin; ½ tsp ground black pepper; 1 tsp oregano; ⅛ tsp pimenton or sweet paprika ((if no chorizo is used)); 1 bay leaf; ⅛ tsp salt ((adjust if necessary)); 150 g potato (cubed); 120 g sweet potato (cubed); 100 g Spanish chorizo (optional); 100 g butternut squash (cubed); 210 g black pudding (sliced); ½ tbsp vinegar

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Cuban lentil soup or Potaje de lentejas is a flavourful recipe you have to try today. Ready within the hour and requiring only a few ingredients, this dish is surprisingly easy and understandably delicious.

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brown lentil soup served on a bowl with rice

Stews and soups are favourite dishes of Cuban people, despite the hot weather all year round. Take for example black bean soup which is almost considered a national dish.

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Carne con papas is another example. But this Potaje de lentejas is one of those soups that not many associate to Cuban food, but it is definitely a traditional Cuban soup. Let’s dive in!

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What is Cuban Lentil Soup?
Why you are going to love this recipe
Ingredients to make Cuban Lentil Soup
How to make Cuban Lentil Soup
Recipe variations
Top Tips and Fun Facts
Recipe card

What is Cuban Lentil Soup?

Cuban lentil soup is a very comforting and filling dish. It usually needs some kind of stock or meat product to add flavour and texture.

The most common additions are ham, chorizo, bacon and morcilla (similar to black pudding). It also contains vegetables such as butternut squash, potato and sweet potatoes. You cannot forget adding a sofrito, the Cuban aromatic base for nearly every soup or stew.

Let’s talk about the type of lentils we need.

In Cuban cuisine, it is most common to make this soup with either brown or green lentils. They are both very similar and the final dish will not change too much. So, you can use any. Some familiar with dal soup may find it similar to Cuban lentil soup.

Green and brown lentils are a bit larger in size than red lentils. Because of this, they usually need more cooking time. They also keep the shape when they reach the desired degree of softness, contrary to red lentils, which can become mushy and super tender very quick.

Why you are going to love this recipe

Quick dish. Lentils do not require to soak overnight, so you can just wash them and cook them with all the other good stuff in less than an hour.

Flavourful and comforting soup. Lentil soup (or stew) will bring to your table a really flavourful, nutritious meal. Make sure you eat it while it’s very hot, so you soak all that comfort feeling inside your bowl.

Ingredients to make Cuban Lentil Soup

Brown or green lentils. Dry brown or green lentils (from a packet). They don’t need to soak overnight and they cook quicker than black beans and kidney beans.

Sofrito with tomato paste. The aromatic base of Cuban soups and stews, with onions, garlic and peppers sautéed in olive oil. A little tomato paste gives colour and flavour to this soup.

Spices and herbs. Ground oregano, cumin, black pepper, and Spanish paprika aka pimentón are the spices. Don’t forget a little pinch of salt and a bay leaf.

Meat produce. I love to cook lentils with bacon and morcilla (black pudding). Optionally, you can add chorizo and the meat of a ham hough as well.

Potato, sweet potato and butternut squash. You can skip one of them but my recommendation is go all in! If you cannot find the traditional white sweet potato, just use the orange one and it will be fine.

Water and vinegar. Water to prepare ham stock where the lentils are going to be cooked. As a final ingredient, a little splash of vinegar balances flavours.

How to make Cuban Lentil Soup

Here you can read the step-by-step instructions for this comforting Cuban Lentil Soup.

Make the sofrito and add the lentils. Finely chop the red peppers and the green peppers, the onions and the garlic. You can also crush the garlic with the flat surface of a knife. To a large saucepan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, then add the peppers and the garlic. Keep sauteing for around 2 min and lastly add a small pinch of salt. Frequently stirring saves the garlic from burning. Stir in the tomato paste and the lentils previously washed. Sauté everything together for 30 more seconds.

Add the bacon and ham stock. Stir in the bacon and sauté for other 30 seconds. Turn the heat to high. Add the ham stock from the ham hough if you have it. Then add the ham bone and the meat separated. Alternatively, prepare 600ml ham stock with stock cubes.

Add the other ingredients and cook. Add oregano, cumin, black pepper, salt, bay leaf, chopped potatoes, chopped sweet potatoes and sliced chorizo if you prefer. Let boil and then turn the heat to medium low. Place the lid and let cook for 20 to 25 minutes. After the first 10 minutes approximately, add the diced butternut squash. Is important to do it like this because butternut squash tends to break down inside the soup faster than potatoes. After the cooking time, add the black pudding and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy. Adjust salt and add a splash of vinegar. Serve with white rice, salad and enjoy! You can also serve it with your favourite slice of bread.

Recipe variations

Cubans love pressure cookers so it is not surprise that you can use one for your lentil soup. In a pressure cooker, brown or green lentils will cook faster, in only 10 minutes approximately. This is only a guide as cookers are different and cooking temperature and pressures depends also on settings selected. You also need to be even more careful when you add the butternut squash and black pudding, since they soften very quick and break down easy inside a pressure cooker.

For a vegan Cuban lentil soup, you can omit all meat products and use vegetable stock instead. Try also adding carrots and doubling the quantity of aromatic spices like the cumin and the pimenton. Don’t ever forget the sofrito! Guaranteed a flavourful and traditional Cuban lentil soup.

Top tips and Fun facts

A good way to crush your garlic and get the most of its flavourful oils is to use a mortar and pestle. When you don’t have one or just feel too lazy to use it, crush the garlic with the flat surface of a knife and then chop it finely. This is a great technique to elevate your sofrito!

Be mindful of how much salt you add (if any). Ham stock, bacon and ham are probably salty already!

This Cuban lentil soup is great for meal prepping. Make it and freeze it in batches. Enjoy during the week after thoroughly thawing inside the fridge and then heating it.

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