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brown lentil soup served on a bowl with rice
Cuban Scran

Cuban Lentil Soup Recipe (Potaje de Lentejas)

Cuban lentil soup or Potaje de lentejas is a flavourful soup that it's ready within the hour. It only requires a few but varied ingredients such as bacon, black pudding, potatoes and butternut squash.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Mains, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine: Cuban, Spanish
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

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

Equipment

  • large saucepan (2.5 L minimum)

Method
 

  1. Prepare ham stock by boiling a ham hough for 2 hours. Separate the meat from the bone and reserve everything. Alternatively, prepare 600 ml of ham stock with stock cubes.
  2. Wash the lentils and dispose the water. Chop the peppers, onions and garlic. 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 sautéing for 2 min and add a small pinch o salt. Stir in the tomato paste and the lentils. Sauté everything together for 30 seconds.
  3. 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. After the cooking time, add the black pudding and cook for another 5 minutes.
  4. Adjust salt and add a splash of vinegar. Serve with white rice, salad and enjoy!

Notes

Allergy info: always read label of pre-packaged ingredients.