J. Kenji López‑Alt

This Easy Lentil Soup Is Just the Beginning | Kenji's Cooking ShowFebruary 25, 2026

Kenji’s latest episode demystifies a basic lentil soup, centering on a lemon‑parsley‑garlic “grimmalada” that doubles as a finishing drizzle and flavor booster. He walks viewers through the prep, from micro‑planing lemon zest to lightly pressing garlic, then coating the aromatics in olive oil to temper garlic’s pungency. The core technique involves sweating a mirepoix of carrots, onions, and celery in generous olive oil, lightly toasting the lentils, and simmering everything in broth with potatoes for texture. Kenji stresses flexibility: swap brown lentils for red, replace beans, or change the aromatics to craft entirely new dishes. He also improvises a yogurt‑infused grimmalada, adding a creamy, tangy layer that can serve as a dip or sauce. Key moments include his warning about garlic presses (“they crush garlic, making flavor overly strong”), his reassurance that olive oil won’t burn when vegetables release moisture, and the cultural nod to Colombian potato‑laden lentil soup. He labels lentils “the peasant food of many cuisines,” underscoring their affordability and universal appeal. For home cooks, the recipe offers a repeatable blueprint that transforms inexpensive staples into restaurant‑quality meals, while Kenji leverages the format to drive Patreon subscriptions and cookbook club memberships, illustrating how culinary content can be monetized through scalable, adaptable recipes.