How would you thicken a soup so it's not as watery?

[lenswoes]

I made a pan of lentil and vegetable soup for myself a couple of days ago. I haven't ever made soup before. I basically threw in chopped leeks, carrots, vegetable stock, pancetta cubes and about 3 handfuls of lentils. Cooked for about 40 minutes on the hob. It was nice but there was definitely room for improvement. The issue was that the soup was watery. I was aiming for a consistency like what you get from supermarket lentil and bacon soup in a carton. The soup from the carton seems much thicker and I think I prefer it that way. Is it likely that I used too much water, not enough lentils or both?

I blend a third to half of the soup - that way you have a thicker background but still some chunks in it

Even a single potato brings a degree of creaminess to a soup I find

I would wither
•boil the water off (enhances the flavour)
•add some potatoes
•use cornflour

Add powdered mashed potatoes.

@aLogLady what sort of lentils do you use please?

I really want to widen my soup repertoire, and I think lentils might be necessary, but have no clue about the different varieties, whether they need soaking, pre-cooking etc!

Potato!

When people recommend adding potato, do they mean raw, or cooked potato?

Rinsed brown lentils and a Kalko mushroom stock cube make a nice base for a soup. I would cook up a batch of lentils, blend and add to your soup to thicken it.

To make from scratch I saute finely chopped onions and mushrooms (and whatever other veg I fancy) in a little butter then add everything to the slow cooker with the lentils and stock cube, season and add a little water, top up the water as needed during cooking. Cook until the lentils start to breakdown. I eat without blending but you can blend all/ part of it depending on what you prefer. Low cal, high protein and pretty filling.

Cooked potato - chop small and cook in the soup, then blend in. For lentil lumpiness/smoothness mix, only blend part of the soup, then mix back in together.

I always do dice-sized cubes of potato in butter at the beginning of soup cooking, then soup it with stock and other ingredients and blend the whole lot, but I get the wish for lentil bobbliness.

I often fry the onion, celery, garlic and then blend with a bit of water before adding everything else. I add a small amount of water with stock cube, v give it a good mix then add more water to the thickness I want. Finally add seasonings and let it cook.

Top tip: I always add a teaspoon of cumin and 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric to mine. It’s delicious.

If you want to make a thick, blended soup, it’s best to make a puree and then thin it out from there. I put loads of veg with stock, bit of olive oil, wine in a pan and then just enough water to cover and gradually reduce it to mush (on a slow heat). Always end up with a really delicious puree which I then thin out with cream and more stock/hot water. Terribly fattening but very yum!

Put a whole potato in as it simmers and then use a fork to mush it (in the pan).

I usually throw in blended baby carrots or blended pease pudding with more water.

Potato definitely works - I also often throw in a tin of cannelini beans

I’ve got a fairly easy one that I LOVE and I’m not really a soup fan

Mix a teaspoon of cornflour into a bit of water and then add that. But make sure you give it enough time to cook off. That will thicken it really quickly.
Or use some bisto granules? Veg ones?
Add cooked potatoes or more lentils?
Or just cook it down for a while until it's become thicker.

Add another handful of lentils to thicken it.

Or cook a large potato and blend it with some of the soup then stir in.

Or blitz half of it in a blender and stir into the soup to thicken the overall texture.

Did you follow a recipe ?
recipes are tested so you get the right mix of water and solid.
I have been cooking for more years than I am prepared to admit, and I follow a recipe for almost everything I cook. Delia smith once said she did too, so it’s okay to not just make it up
I use Rose Elliott for lentil soup as I have her book and love her soup recipes. It uses red lentils, and a mi x of winter veg.

Another vote for adding a cornflour paste, very easy. Add it and stir in some time before everything is ready to avoid a "floury" taste.

Potato or double cream

As an aside, I would love to be able to eat lentils. But they fill me so full of wind that I could sail off!

I can't imagine making soup without frying onions garlic celery first. Did the OP skip this step because it's so obvious and go to the second step?

Add more lentils, a chopped potato and I add a squirt of tomato puree which thickens too.

Add some instant mash granules

You didn’t add enough lentils if you want it thick add more