If you love the rich, creamy flavors of the viral Marry Me Chicken recipe, you’re going to fall head over heels for this Marry Me Red Lentil Soup! This hearty soup takes inspiration from the sun-dried tomato filled dish and transforms it into a saucy, protein-packed lentil soup with irresistible flavors. Smoky bacon, roasted red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes flavor the soup base, and select herbs and spices, plus umami-rich tomato paste, take it over the top. Finished with creamy coconut milk and lots of parmigiano reggiano, you’ll fall in love with every spoonful.
Why this soup might inspire a long-term commitment…
… a long-term commitment to soup! The original viral chicken recipe has been around for almost a decade (!) and has seared the delicious and irresistibly creamy sun-dried tomato sauce into our collective consciousness. And let me be clear: It’s worthy of adoration.
I won’t be coy about opining that my addition of roasted red peppers makes it even better — for my tastes, at least — but that’s how the tradition of recipes pass forward and evolve. You start with something appetizing and then tweak to your and your family’s tastes.
Until last year, I’d been resistant to using the term “marry me” in my recipe titles because it implies a goal that I don’t stand behind. No one should get married because one partner is a good cook. Marriage and long-term commitment are difficult enough in the best of circumstances, much less being dependent on performing a random chore over and over again with consistent excellence. (Case in point: I’m a good cook. I like to cook. I have incurable cancer. Y’all, some days these things are in violent conflict with each other.)
However, while I generally agree with Eater’s take on the topic, I do acknowledge that it’s also just a whimsical name with a charming backstory. And at this point, “marry me” is synonymous with a Tuscan, sun-dried tomato-fueled flavor profile. At least in culinary and TikTok circles.
So, in that gentle spirit, I bring you Marry Me Red Lentil Soup.
Just remember: Marriage is complicated. Soup is a safe space. I stand by that.
Marry Me Red Lentil Soup is —
- Full of delightfully crave-worthy flavors: Smoky bacon, roasted red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes create a deeply savory and slightly sweet taste.
- Easy to make: For all of its complex flavors, this soup is surprisingly simple to prepare, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
- Protein-packed and hearty: Protein and fiber-rich red lentils create a lovely textured soup that keeps you full and helps with your protein goals.
- Creamy and satisfying: Coconut milk and parmesan add a luxurious texture and depth of flavor.
- Perfect for meal prep: This soup stores well in the fridge and tastes even better the next day.
If you love the flavors of the “marry me” combo, also check out my Marry Me Sausage Orzo Soup.
Main Ingredients and Substitutions
Sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers — Of course, a “marry me” recipe must have sun-dried tomatoes, and lots of them. Use oil-packed tomatoes because we take advantage of that infused oil to saute the bacon and veggies. Roasted red peppers are usually jarred and packed in water. Sometimes my grocery store has them in the olive bar in the deli (which means I can buy only what I need).
Bacon — The smoky, salty savoriness of good bacon gets everything off on the right foot. Although you want some fat to render into the oil, I would trim away any concentrated sections of pure fat from your strips. Pancetta or thick slices of Canadian bacon would work very well as an alternative.
Red lentils — Red lentils are the stars of the show here. They cook quickly, and you can control their texture and keep them from getting too mushy. Plus, they have a beautiful red color that makes the soup so lovely.
If you’re having a hard time finding red lentils, yellow lentils (a.k.a., dal) are similarly fast-cooking, while brown lentils take just a little longer. You can actually use any kind of lentil, including black and French le puy, but just know that they’ll take longer to cook. And you’ll probably need a little more broth to compensate for any extra evaporation that occurs during the longer cooking time.
Coconut milk — While dairy is the usual creamy addition to a marry-me recipe, I chose full-fat coconut milk here because it has a complementary flavor profile to lentils while still matching dairy’s smooth texture. And also because there’s only so much heavy cream a girl can take in one cooking season lol.
You can substitute heavy cream for coconut milk, 1:1. You can also use lower fat options (either dairy or coconut) but know that the soup will have a different consistency.
How to Make Marry Me Red Lentil Soup
Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to get the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and printable, detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through of making the soup.
Prep notes
Here are some helpful guidelines for prepping the recipe ingredients. Anything that simply needs to be measured out of a container – such as dried herbs and liquids – is not addressed here. Note that you can absolutely measure everything out into separate bowls or containers ahead of time. It’s a classic organizational technique called mise en place — literally, “everything in its place” — that helps the cooking workflow run smoothly.
- Chop up the strips of bacon into small cubes. While you’ll want some fat for cooking the aromatics, if there’s too much, simply cut it off and discard. The bacon strips in the photo above were a little too fatty for my preferences, so I removed some of it.
- Sun-dried tomatoes are usually jarred whole or pre-sliced julienne (that is, into strips). Chop them up into small dice. It’s a little bit messy because they’re oily. Keep paper towels nearby to clean things off (e.g., your hands, knife, and cutting board).
- Roasted red peppers are packed in water in jars, sometimes left whole, sometimes cut in half. You’ll probably see charred bits here and there; that’s okay. Chop them into a small dice, like the sun-dried tomatoes
- Peel away the skin and dried or tough outer layers of the onion, cut off the stem and root ends, and slice into small dice.
- Grate the parmagiano reggiano cheese using the small holes of a box grater.
- Chop the fresh chives into small pieces. Chive leaves are actually tube-shaped, so don’t be surprised at the hollow cylinders.
- Shake the unopened can of coconut milk (not shown) until you hear the contents sloshing freely. Full-fat coconut milk has a wonderful layer of thick coconut cream that clings to the sides and top of the can, and you’ll want to incorporate all of it.
Step 1: Crisp up the bacon
Spoon some of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar into the pot. Fry the bacon pieces in the oil until nice and crisp, stirring frequently. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving the oil and bacon fat in the pot.
Step 2: Saute the aromatics
Cook the onions, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted red peppers in the pan until softened. Make sure you scrape up any fond left behind by the bacon. Good stuff!
Step 3: Add the seasonings and blend
Spoon in the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and spices and stir until fragrant. Use a little of the broth to loosen the mixture if it’s too stiff and pasty. Pour in the remaining broth.
Step 4: Blend and then cook the lentils
I like to smooth out the chunky vegetables at this point, before adding the lentils. Use an immersion blender, or transfer the soup to an upright blender, and pulse until almost smooth. Return the soup to the pot if using an upright blender.
Add the lentils, and bring the soup up to an active simmer. Let cook for 15 minutes, tasting during the last 5 minutes to ensure that the lentils are tender-firm, but neither chewy nor mushy.
Step 5: Finish the soup
Stir in the coconut milk, followed by the cheese and bacon. The soup should be saucy and fall off the spoon readily. Taste, and add salt if needed. Garnish with the chopped chives, and enjoy!
Storing
Lentil dishes of any kind store wonderfully, and this soup tastes even better overnight (so, it’s great for meal prep and leftover lunches). Be prepared for the soup to thicken in the refrigerator. You can reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a tablespoon or two of water or broth to loosen the lentils.
I first published this beautiful red soup around Valentine’s Day, and while it might not be the traditional, fancy steak or seafood dish, I happen to think it would make a wonderful first course to share with your loved one. Or, hear me out: Galentine’s Day, with lots of warm, toasty French bread, a charcuterie board, and fizzy wine.
Marry Me Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar
- 2 strips thick bacon , chopped
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted red peppers
- 1/3 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup dried red lentils , picked over for debris
- 15 ounces coconut milk (canned)
- 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
- salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a 4 to 5 quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium until the surface of the oil shimmers. Add the bacon saute until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Leave the oil and fat in the pot.
- Add the onions, peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes, and cook until softened, stirring frequently, scraping up any fond created by the bacon.
- Add the tomato paste, garlic, Italian herbs and smoked paprika and mix well. The mixture might get a little pasty – that’s okay. Just add a splash of broth to loosen everything. Cook until the garlic is fragrant (just a minute or two).
- Pour in the 2 cups of broth and stir well.
- *Use an immersion blender to chop up the vegetables into a smoother broth. (Or, transfer to a regular blender, pulse until mostly smooth, and return to pot.)
- Add the lentils and adjust the heat to bring the soup to an active simmer (medium to medium-high). Cook for 15-20 minutes, tasting often after 10 minutes to test the texture of the lentils. They should be tender but firm and easily bitten through. If you have to chew them like chickpeas, they’re not done.**
- Pour in the coconut milk and stir to incorporate into the soup. This might take a minute or two of stirring. The soup should be rich and saucy.
- Return the bacon to the soup, and add the cheese and a sprinkling of the chives. Taste, and add salt if desired. Serve hot.
Notes
– blend up the veggies at the point noted in the recipe, which smooths out the soup but will leave the lentils whole, with their nice texture.
– wait until the end and blend the entire, finished soup, for a velvety result. **Note that the instructions on your bag of lentils might call for a much shorter cooking time (mine did – only 6 to 12 minutes!). Red lentils are faster cooking than other lentils, but they still need to be cooked properly. My lentils were nowhere near ready at 12 minutes, and I’ve never heard of such a short cooking time as 6 minutes. When in doubt, trust a taste-test.