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)
Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes Soupa)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon 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 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 teaspoon dry
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Toppings (optional)
- ¼ c plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Feta cheese
- Kalamata olives
Instructions
- In a 3 qt soup pot, heat 1 teaspoon 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
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.
Excellent soup. One of my winter staples. Thank you so much for sharing.
So glad you enjoy it! This is one of our favorites too.
Absolutely delicious, easy to make, perfect soup! Many thanks for the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed the lentil soup!
This soup is so easy and is so delicious! Its a keeper-
So glad you enjoyed it!