Instant Pot Greek Lentil Soup

Traditional Greek lentil soup known as Fakes made even quicker!

Watch the Video:

Confession time… When I first used my Instant Pot, I hated it. I burnt things, and things went wrong left and right. However, now that I know how to use it, I love it! I’m going through all of the most popular recipes on my site and making them in the Instant Pot to share with you because it’s made life so much easier.

Fakes has been one of my most popular recipes. It’s a Greek lentil soup that’s hearty, delicious, and has just a few inexpensive ingredients. Because it’s so simple and has so much flavor, it makes for a great weeknight Instant pot meal or make a double batch for a crowd or the freezer.

Can I cook Fakes in the pressure cooker?

If you have a pressure cooker instead of an Instant Pot, you can use this recipe in almost the exact same way it’s written. Just saute your vegetables on the stove, and add them to your pressure cooker. I use the pressure cooker function on my Instant Pot for this recipe. So, it’s no different.

Why you’ll want to make this every week

• Creamy, peppery lentils
• Fresh herb veggie flavor
• Healthy and comforting
• It’s a delicious cheap, quick, and easy meal!

Healthy delicious ingredients

• Brown or green lentils –washed and soaked in water overnight
• Olive oil
• Carrots -peeled and diced
• Small onion -finely chopped
• Celery rib –diced
• Cloves of garlic –chopped
• Bay leaves
• Crushed tomatoes
• Salt or to taste
• Black pepper
• Crushed red pepper flakes –optional for heat
• Vegetable broth –water or chicken broth are good substitutes here
• Dried oregano
• Finely chopped fresh parsley
• For serving: vinegar, olives, feta cheese

How to prepare lentils

The best thing to do when adding lentils is to rinse them well and soak them in cool water overnight. This will cut down on the cooking time. I used green lentils in the video because that’s what I had on hand, but brown lentils or even French lentils would be good. French lentils are a little bit smaller and more delicate, but they don’t melt as well as green lentils. Use the lentils you like best.

How to make Instant Pot Greek Lentil Soup

• Add the onion, carrots, celery, and olive oil to the Instant Pot and season with a pinch of salt. Set it to the Sauté feature for about 10 minutes or until soft and golden, then add the garlic for about 2-3 minutes longer.
• Next, add the lentils, bay leaves, water, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and crushed red pepper flakes.
• Then, cover the Instant Pot and set the valve to seal. Pressure cook on High for 10 minutes and allow it to slow release for 15 minutes. Open the valve to release any remaining pressure.
• Taste the soup, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Then, stir in the oregano, and garnish with finely chopped parsley.

How to freeze for later

I make a double batch of lentil soup almost every time because it freezes so well. So, once your soup cools to room temperature, transfer it to freezer-safe containers. It will keep fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and warm on the stove.

Serving

To freshen it up a bit, I love to serve my lentil soup drizzled with good quality olive oil, a splash of apple cider vinegar, some feta, and olives on the side. And because it’s soup, don’t forget the bread. Try my homemade Greek country village bread with it. The two go perfectly together and remind me so much of a comforting Greek day. Kali Orexi!

More Instant Pot Recipes:

• Instant Pot Youvetsi: Beef & Chicken Stew
• Instant Pot Greek Lemony Chicken & Orzo Soup

My Favorite Hearty Soups & Stews:

• Mediterranean Tortellini Soup
• Fasolada in 30 Minutes: Greek White Bean Soup
• Greek Fisherman’s Soup
• Greek Lentil Soup
• Greek Lamb & Orzo Stew
• Greek Spinach & Potato Stew

Continue to Content

Instant Pot Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes)

Yield: about 8 servings

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Ingredients

• 14 oz (400g) brown or green lentils, washed and soaked in water overnight
• 1/4 cup or more olive oil
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery rib, diced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 15 oz (425g) crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 8 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• For serving: vinegar, olives, feta cheese

Instructions

Add the onion, carrots, celery, and olive oil to the Instant Pot and season with a pinch of salt. Set it to the Sauté feature for about 10 minutes or until soft and golden. Add the garlic and saute 2-3 minutes longer.

Add the lentils, bay leaves, water, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Cover the instant Pot and set the valve to seal. Pressure cook on High for 10 minutes and allow it to slow release for 15 minutes. Open the valve to release any remaining pressure.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add the oregano and stir to combine. Garnish with finely chopped parsley.

Serve drizzled with some good quality olive oil and a splash of vinegar and some feta with olives on the side.

Kali Orexi.

Notes

Freezer Instructions: Once the soup cools to room temperature trasfer it to freezer-safe containers. The soup will keep fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and warm on the stove.

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