I love lentils! I’m thinking of getting that printed on a t-shirt and telling the whole world. Ok. Maybe that’s a little over the top but what’s not to love about this legume? It’s healthy, full of fibre and definitely fills you up. And I do love lentil soup. I’ve made lentil soup with chickpeas and quinoa and I’ve also combined pumpkin to make a hearty pumpkin and lentil soup but I do not have a recipe for the Greek version of lentil soup a.k.a “fakes” (pronounced fah-kes). Sacrilege! All jokes aside regarding the pronunciation, this oh so simple and very warming on those cooler days. The beauty is you can jazz it up any way you wish. Like extra spice? Add some chili. Cumin is another spice that marries well with lentil soup as well. I’ve taken the more traditional road here and used bay leaves and some oregano. Having said that, I’ve seen lentil soup served in many Greek households a number of ways. I’ve had it with chunks of potato, rice and even hilopites (Greek home made pasta). It all depends where you come from. But I think one thing is pretty universal with the Greek version of lentil soup. As it’s being served it’s wonderful with a few splashes of vinegar. It just lifts the dish to another level. I sometimes like to drizzle some extra virgin olive oil too. It’s all good.
RECIPE FOR LENIL SOUP-”FAKES”
- 250 grams of small brown lentils rinsed and washed of any debris
- 2 brown onions finely chopped
- 2 large carrots finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons of dried Greek oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- 750 ml of water
- 1 cup of pureed tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- a handful of chopped parsley to garnish
- red wine vinegar to serve
- In a large pot saute your onions, carrots and garlic until translucent.
- Add your lentils and stir well.
- Add the water, tomato mixture, bay leaves, oregano and season with salt and pepper.
- Let the mixture come to a boil on a medium high heat and then bring it down to a simmer.
- Simmer for about 30-40 minutes.
- Serve immediately garnished with parsley and red wine vinegar.
You may also like to check out my fellow Greek bloggers versions of Greek lentil soup.
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
I admit, I still smirk after saying “Fakkes”…ever the boy I will be! lol
Spring is just around the corner but I could still go for a bowl, enjoy and don’t forget the olives on the side.
Oh yes! I forgot the olives!
I love lentil too! It’s interesting how our tastes change as we grow up. I really wasn’t a fan of lentil as a child. Thank you for this recipe. I’m gonna make it for lunch today!
I’ve been craving lentil soup all week.
Oh, fakes are my FAVORITE!!!!!
I definitely skip the olives on the side, but a big steaming bowl of fakes and a chunk of crusty bread makes me so happy! And even though I grew up only having it made during Lent, I make it all the time now.
I haven’t had fakes any other way, but I do like you recipe for the lentil soup w/ chickpeas and quinoa. Thanks for mentioning that one b/c I really want to add that to my lentil soup recipes now!
AS the weather gets cooler I can see you are moving towards delicious and comforting foods Peter. This would be perfect for the inbetween season days right now.
Just like you, I love lentils! That wonderful soup is so appetizing! The flavors of greece in a bowl…
Cheers,
Rosa
I’ve never been too crazy about cooking lentils. Maybe because I had bad experiences with them when growing up. Oh, I like them now, but I don’t think of them very often, LOL. I guess I just need to look at them from a different perspective and what a better way than from a Greek perspective. You’ve opened my mind again, hehe
I absolutely love lentils. I love their meaty flavor and they are really comforting. This soup is a must-have.
I love lentil soup and yours sounds perfect, I could eat it right now for dinner.
I love lentils…..and soup….and cumin in anything, including ice cream (with some orange zest!)
Judging from the comments above – I think if you do get a t-shirt printed – there will be lots of takers! Yes – and I will definitely be one of them. I also love the addition of vinegar and olive oil – that’s exactly how my Dad enjoys lentil soup too – in fact – he might also buy that t-shirt! Lovely pics – especially the last one – breathtaking.
Fabulous! This will go on the list of soups to make this weekend. Lentils are hugely popular so I’m sure this will go down well
What a beckoning soup. Looks absolutely delicious.
I’m very keen on lentils, too, but only in soups! I am seriously looking forward to the cooler weather and some hearty comfort food!
Oh wow that looks incredible! I was thinking about making lentil soup for the first time this weekend. This looks so good.
That trusty old heart warming dish….fakes. My poor non Greek brother in law when we first said “we’re having fakes”.
Who liked them as a child? I doubt there is anyone putting up their hand. Yet as we have matured we all love them. How can one put into words what this heart warming, traditional, poor man’s soup does for the soul?
We all have our own way of eating them….a splash of vinegar, bay leaves, olives and toursi piperies on the side. Lately we have taken to chopping a potato or even adding some rice. It’s yummylicious.
My mum found a bottle of sweet chillie sauce in the fridge and added a drop of that as well into plain fakes. Now she won’t eat them any other way.
Can I have real lentil soup, not fakes? lol! Joke aside. This is a really yummy hearty lentil soup! Amazing photographs as always
Well Peter, this is the way I love my lentil bowl of soup… a very comforting and healthy plate -this is my type of meal! Congrats for the images too,
I, too, love lentils though I must admit the last time I made them…I had lentil porridge. (It was still good.) I like your finishing touch of vinegar.
Everything is perfect here, including the forgotten olives. I’m also partial to white backgrounds. So again, you made a simple bowl of soup, probably eaten for centuries on a wooden table, appear so elegant. You have that way about you. You are an artist.
This looks incredible! I have seen a lot of soup version with red lentil. But I do prefer the brown lentils a bit more.
I like the idea of finishing the soup with oil AND vinegar.
Lovely photos.
LL
I LOVE lentils!! It was the first Greek recipe I posted on my blog.
It’s such a fulfilling dish. Spread the word, eat lentils people!
Your version is almost exactly like mine, minus the oregano. It looks fantastic!
Magda
I love lentil soup!! yours looks beautiful and deliciouuus
This is one of those meals I refused to eat as a kid and just LOVE now. I really should make a batch while it’s still a little chilly out!
Love brown lentils and this is such a delicious one. love it big time… the evoo drizzle sounds very very good.
Beautiful dish of lentil soup! I love lentils too; we never ate them when we were growing up so I only experienced eating lentils actually not too long ago but I love them!
Lentils have become a singular obsession! We are cooking more frequently than ever and still no relief to the craving. Our last dish combined lentils with bulgar in a savory veggie broth. This post just reminds me that it’s time to go back to the pantry and do it all over again.
Cheers,
Steve & Jason
Peter, fakes are a Greek weekday staple, especially during lent. Next times try them with some smoked fish on the side. Growing up we always had smoked herring and some olives together with the soup. The erathiness of the lentils suits the smoked fish really well.
this looks great! i’ve been meaning to make some lentil soup but never got around to it and this is like a small kick in the bum to do something with the bag of lentils in the pantry hehe
this is the most poplar bean dish in or house
it is also the lightest, and i feel the only dry bean stew that we can eat all year round, even in the hot summers
we make lentil soup (exactly as in my recipe) once every three weeks – it has its own special rota in or weekly diet
I am making this recipe right now. It was a tradition as I was growing up to eat lentil soup (fakes) on Good Friday, so I make it for my family. The recipe you have posted is very similar to the recipe that I typically make. It’s fun to see Greeks all over the world making the same recipes.
We are planning a very Greek Easter with lamb, spanakopetes, tiropetes, pasca bread and of course feta and olives. Kali anastasi.
We love lentils too, but certainly don’t cook enough of them. The soup sounds very tasty and hearty. Great pics!
I just came across your fakes recipe after putting up my own version on my new blog. Your photographs are great! I’m married to a Greek and we moved to Sydney 2 years ago. I love Greek food and I look forward to seeing your future posts.
I had to click on this post wondering what a fake lentil soup was and it led me to a giggle and a deliciously thick and appealing looking soup! I can imagine the splash of vinegar would add some zing to the earthy lentils
I too would wear a lentil lovin’ T-shirt proudly and even made up my own version of lentil soup not too long ago (not a fake one though – grin
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This looks so yummy and filling!