Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes Beans and Peas Lentil Soup Recipes Hearty Italian Lentil Soup 4.4 (20) 16 Reviews 2 Photos You can change the recipe to suit your tastes; use your favorite jarred sauce if you don't have any homemade, or use your own family's meatball recipe! Submitted by Kristin Updated on March 1, 2025 Save Rate Print Share Close Add Photo Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Servings: 8 Yield: 8 servings Jump to Nutrition Facts Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings 1 cup lentils 1 ⅓ quarts water, divided ⅔ cup uncooked long grain white rice 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 pound ground beef 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 3 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs salt, to taste ground black pepper, to taste 1 quart tomato sauce ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping Directions Place lentils in a pot with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. Bring rice and 1 1/3 cup water to boil in a pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, combine the ground beef, beaten egg, garlic, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, parsley, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Form ground beef mixture into 1 inch balls. Place meatballs in skillet and cook 5 minutes or until evenly brown. In a large pot, bring the tomato sauce and 4 cups water to a boil. Transfer the browned meatballs to the pot. Mix in cooked lentils and rice. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese to serve. I Made It Print 23 home cooks made it! Nutrition Facts (per serving) 324 Calories 12g Fat 34g Carbs 21g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 8 Calories 324 % Daily Value * Total Fat 12g 15% Saturated Fat 4g 22% Cholesterol 61mg 20% Sodium 787mg 34% Total Carbohydrate 34g 12% Dietary Fiber 7g 24% Total Sugars 6g Protein 21g 42% Vitamin C 10mg 12% Calcium 92mg 7% Iron 5mg 28% Potassium 787mg 17% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.