What to Serve with Lentil Soup: 15 Savory & Satisfying Sides

Are you wondering what to serve with lentil soup? Then you have come to the right place. We know exactly what to serve with lentil soup!

There are a lot of lentil soup recipes out there. Some are spicy and chunky, while others are mild and sweet. This can make it tricky to find the best side dishes to match your favorite lentil soup!

Some people love Indian-style lentil soup with a little bit of curry spice. That kind of soup goes great with curried cauliflower rice.

Are you sprinkling some feta into your soup for a Greek version of lentil soup? Then maybe you need a nice side of cucumber salad.

We considered all variations of lentil soup when we made our list of incredible side dishes.

All of our side dishes pair wonderfully with thick, hearty lentil soup. So, whether you are using your slow cooker and pouring in yellow lentils for soup or just heating up a can of cooked brown lentils, we have the side for you!

Lentil Soup Sides: Recipes You’ll Love

From salads to potatoes, hearty meat sides to vegetarian options, we have found all of the best sides for lentil soup. Which one will you choose first?

1. Buffalo Chicken Panini

Soup and salad are often the perfect meal. They are a match made in heaven! That is why we love our buffalo chicken panini served next to a nice, warm bowl of lentil soup.

Our panini recipe starts with crusty flatbread sandwich bread. We like to use square ciabatta rolls that are exactly the right size for a sandwich.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are cooked in hot sauce, making them juicy and tender. Shred the chicken with a fork or just slice it into small pieces to top the bread. Add a little extra hot sauce to make the sandwich even juicier!

Feta cheese tops the sandwich giving it a nice, salty taste. Sprinkle some feta into your favorite lentil soup recipe to make the meal even more cohesive. Feta and creamy lentils are actually quite delicious!

Dip the sandwich right into your red lentil soup for an amazing combination. You will be shocked by how great hot sauce chicken and lentils are together.

2. Roasted Vegetables

Pour your brown or green lentils into your slow cooker, add some chicken stock and your favorite herbs, then turn on your oven to make an incredible side dish. Roasted vegetables can cook in the oven while your soup simmers away in your crockpot. This is such an easy, complete meal!

We love this roasted vegetable recipe from Chelsea’s Messy Apron. It is simple, versatile, and goes with almost anything.

The recipe calls for carrots, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, baby potatoes, and red onions. Choose your favorite root veggies to add to the pan. Zucchini, diced tomatoes, or beets will all work great!

Try using multicolored rainbow carrots for an even pretties side. You can even use all carrots to make this roasted veggie recipe. It is really up to you!

Oregano, rosemary, thyme, and basil are the main herbs sprinkled on the veggies. Add a little cumin or ground cayenne pepper to spice things up!

3. Garlic Bread

Homemade garlic bread and a warm bowl of red lentils soup is one of our favorite pairings. All that rich garlic is just incredible with the taste of hearty lentils.

Use this recipe for garlicky bread from Spend With Pennies. It is very easy to make and has the perfect balance of buttery garlic flavor.

Choose a crusty bread to start your recipe. A French baguette or an Italian loaf works well.

Cover the crusty bread with butter and fresh minced garlic. Toast the bread just to warm it up and make the top a golden brown color.

Sprinkle the toasted garlic bread with fresh parsley or fresh basil. You will be surprised how much flavor a little fresh parsley can add to a red lentil soup.

4. Moroccan Salad

We love serving vegetable side dishes with lentil soup. Lentil soup is already so healthy that you want to keep eating healthy by choosing nutritious sides. This Moroccan carrot and chickpea salad from Once Upon a Chef is exactly what to serve with lentil soup.

The salad is made up of shredded carrots, dried currants, chickpeas, sliced almonds, shallots, and garlic. Use a food processor to perfectly shred the carrots. This is a very easy way to chop carrots perfectly! Fresh mint is added to the mix to make it even brighter.

The homemade dressing that tops the salad may be our favorite part of the whole recipe. Olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, and honey are mixed in a bowl. Make sure to use fresh lemon juice and fresh orange juice if possible. Fresh lemon is so much better than the bottles of lemon stuff!

Six different spices, including cinnamon, cumin, and coriander, are whisked in. Add a little more cumin or cayenne for extra zing. If you like a spicy side, this is the way to get it!

Moroccan carrot salad adds just the right amount of spice and zing to your meal. It is ideal in the summer when a cold salad may be just what you need to balance a soup thick with red lentils.

Veggies like this are ideal to pair with a vegan or vegetarian lentil soup. If you plan on using vegetable stock or vegetable broth to make your soup, a veggie side salad may be just what you need.

5. Homemade Naan Bread

You will be amazed by how easy it is to make naan bread. This recipe from Budget Bytes will show you how! We are warning you now that it may quickly become your favorite side dish to serve with lentil soup.

Naan is a classic middle eastern flatbread. It is made with flour, water, yeast, yogurt, and egg. The yogurt gives the bread a nice tangy taste that is really yummy next to hearty lentil soup.

Naan is cooked in a skillet, making it very fast to bake. The bread puffs up as it sears, getting golden brown and bubbly.

Dip the bread right into your lentil soup for an extra flavorful treat. Fresh naan and lentil soup may be your new favorite comfort food.

6. Tomato Panzanella

We are crazy about this tomato Panzanella recipe from The Mediterranean Dish. It is hearty but light, sweet but a little tangy. It is truly perfect!

We especially love serving this cold Panzanella next to warm lentil soup. The hot and cold combo balances perfectly.

It takes almost no time at all to put this recipe together. There is no cook time which is always a huge plus. All you need to do is throw the ingredients in a bowl and toss everything together!

Twist it up a little by using multicolored diced tomatoes. Yellow tomatoes, red tomatoes, and orange tomatoes are all great. A rainbow-colored side dish with a pretty red lentils soup will make a beautiful meal!

7. Beans and Bacon

A quick vegetable side dish is always a good choice. These beans and bacon are elegant enough for a holiday but simple enough for a Tuesday! Dinner at the Zoo will show you exactly how to make this yummy side.

Start by cooking the bacon in a large skillet until it is crisp and perfectly browed. Take the bacon out of the pan but leave the bacon grease in the pan. The fresh green beans will cook in the rich bacon fat.

Crumble the bacon on top of the green beans for a crunchy, savory treat. A little freshly chopped parsley is the perfect finishing touch. Add a little freshly chopped parsley to the top of your lentil soup recipe to give it a little extra flavor, too.

8. Simple Green Salad

This easy garden side salad recipe from Culinary Hill is delicious and simple. It is quick to put together and requires no cook time at all.

Fresh ingredients are key to making this side perfect. They will add the most flavor to your meal and give you a nice, crunchy dish that compliments the smooth soup perfectly.

Crispy lettuce, endive, diced tomatoes, radishes, and cucumbers are all tossed together to make the bulk of the green salad. The homemade dressing uses buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, and herbs. Make the dressing ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. The flavors will only grow as it sits!

This is a great vegetarian option to serve next to your soup made with veggie broth and brown or green lentils.

9. Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins

Want to add a little spice to your meal? Then these jalapeno cornbread muffins from Damn Delicious are just what to serve with lentil soup.

Freshly sliced jalapenos are baked into a sweet cornbread batter. Keep the jalapeno seeds in to make the muffins have even more heat. You may even want to throw a few sliced jalapenos into the Dutch oven along with your dried lentils for soup!

The sweetness of the cornbread is something the whole family will love. The muffins are very easy to make, and even your kids can help! They will love mixing up the cornbread batter. Don’t worry. It is very hard to “mess up” this recipe. Anyone can make it!

Eat the cornbread muffins next to your favorite lentil soup recipe. You can also cut and toast them to make cornbread croutons. Crumble a muffin and sprinkle it over the lentil soup like a garnish. This will give your soup a nice sweet taste with very little effort.

Another thing that makes these cornbread muffins a perfect side is that they are completely vegetarian and vegan. If you are making your soup with vegetable broth and red lentils and keeping it vegan, this side will also fit into that theme.

10. Homemade Dinner Rolls

Do you love dinner rolls and soup? Then use this recipe from Stay at Home Chef to make incredible, tasty dinner rolls from scratch. They are amazing next to a large pot of lentil soup. Rolls and soup cuisine are a classic match!

Dinner rolls do take a little time to make. You need to let the dough rise several times before it is ready to bake. Make sure to time your meal well and start making the dough nice and early.

Get your red lentils, tomato paste, and vegetable broth into the Dutch oven to simmer, then start on your rolls! This meal will be an incredible, tasty labor of love.

Brush the rolls with butter or drizzle them with a little olive oil right when they come out of the oven. A little flavorful olive oil will enhance the taste of the rolls!

Serve the dinner rolls while they are warm and fresh from the oven. Slice them in half and spread some butter across the rolls before serving. Dip the warm buttered roll right into the veggie broth lentil soup, and then take a big bite.

There is nothing quite as yummy as this combo. Homemade rolls and homemade soup are comfort food at their finest!

11. Cilantro Lime Rice

Make lentil soup with a Mexican flair by adding a touch of cayenne pepper and a little lime juice. Serve that delicious lentil soup with a side of cilantro lime rice.

Our delicious cilantro rice is packed with flavor. It is made with fresh chopped cilantro, lime juice, a little salt, and pepper. That is all you need for this simple, delicious side!

We like to use jasmine rice to make cilantro rice. It has a very subtle, floral taste that goes really well with the bright, tangy lime juice.

Serve cilantro rice on the side of your lentil soup or scoop it right into the bowl. A spoonful of warm soup and vibrant rice is something you have to try!

12. Cucumber Salad

Creamy cucumber salad and warm, thick soup made with red lentils are a great combo. We especially love this cucumber salad recipe from Lemon Tree Dwelling. It is the perfect side to make ahead of time. The flavors will only grow stronger as the cucumbers marinate in the homemade dressing.

Fresh cucumbers, sliced red onion, and fresh dill are tossed together in a large pot. Sour cream and white vinegar are the main ingredients in the dressing. Use light sour cream to make the side a little healthier. You can also try using yogurt in place of the sour cream for fewer calories.

Keep the cucumber mix chilled until you are ready to eat. Cold cucumbers are best! You will also adore the contrast between warm soup and chilled, crunchy cucumbers.

13. Veggie Quiche

A crustless veggie quiche is a fantastic gluten-free side to pair with red lentil soup. It is hearty, healthy, and easy to make using this recipe from Healthy Recipe Blogs.

Eggs are whisked together then chopped veggies are stirred into the eggy mix. The recipe calls for carrots, peas, corn, and green beans. Feel free to mix up the vegetables, adding whatever you’d like. Try mixing in some white beans, diced tomatoes, or sweet potatoes. Any kind of vegetables will be great in this recipe!

Make your red lentil soup with tomato paste and veggie broth. You can easily create a gluten-free and vegan meal using this recipe and your favorite vegan red lentil soup recipe.

14. Mushroom Pilaf

Mushroom pilaf is a warm and hearty side to serve with red lentil soup. It is super filling but still very healthy. Mushrooms are great for you!

Follow this recipe from A Spicy Perspective to make a perfect, creamy mushroom risotto.

Butter, garlic, and shallots are sauteed in a large skillet. Risotto rice is toasted in the pan with the cooked veggies. Dry sherry and vegetable broth are slowly added to the rice. Adding the wine and broth slowly in increments is what makes the rice so creamy.

Use mixed varieties of mushrooms. Sliced baby portobello, shitake, and regular white mushrooms make a nice mix of flavors and textures.

Add a nice crusty hunk of bread next to the red lentil soup and mushroom pilaf, and you will have the perfect meal!

15. Kebobs

Steak kebobs like these from Cooking Classy are a super hearty side to pair with your favorite red lentil soup. All you need to do is fire up the grill and start cooking!

Thick pieces of steak are skewered with sliced peppers and red onions. The kebobs cook on the grill, searing them perfectly. Add more vegetables to the kebobs if you’d like. Tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and zucchini are great vegetables to grill with steak.

Use your favorite steak marinade or keep the kebobs simple, using a blend of spices and just some avocado oil as seasoning.

Amazing Sides For Your Favorite Lentil Soup Recipe

Whether you make red lentil soup or pour brown lentils into your pot with some broth, any of these sides will be incredible. Make your sides while your soup is set to a simmer, and you will have a perfect meal in no time.

Let us know which recipes are your favorite! We always love to hear about your culinary adventures! Enjoy.