Crowd-Pleasing Lentil Soup with Hot Dogs and Cheese
A hearty, kid-friendly lentil soup loaded with hot dogs and finished with melted cheddar cheese. Red lentils cook down quickly into a creamy base, while sliced hot dogs add savory protein and fun factor. This one-pot meal comes together in under 45 minutes and is perfect for weeknight dinners when you want something filling, affordable, and universally beloved.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Makes
- 6 servings (about 8 cups total)
Steps
Before you start
- Gather all ingredients and prep vegetables ahead of time
- Use a large pot or Dutch oven so the soup has room to simmer
- Have a box grater or microplane ready for the cheese
- Rinse the red lentils in a fine-mesh strainer before adding to the pot
Sauté aromatics
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes soft and translucent.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Onion is soft and translucent; garlic is fragrant
Tip: Don't let the garlic brown, or it will taste bitter.
Add lentils and broth
- Add the rinsed red lentils and 8 cups chicken broth to the pot, stirring well to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer uncovered.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Mixture comes to a rolling boil
Add carrots and thyme
- Once the broth is simmering, add the sliced carrots and dried thyme (if using).
- Stir to combine.
- Continue to simmer over medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes, until the lentils begin to soften and break down and the carrots are tender.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Lentils are soft and beginning to fall apart; carrots are fork-tender
Tip: Red lentils cook much faster than brown or green lentils and will create a naturally creamy soup as they break down.
Add hot dogs
- Add the sliced pre-cooked hot dogs to the pot and stir gently.
- Continue simmering over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, just until the hot dogs are heated through.
- Do not let them boil hard, as they can split.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Hot dog slices are heated through and warmed to serving temperature
Tip: These are pre-cooked hot dogs that are already safe to eat; you're simply warming them through. Slice thin so they heat quickly and distribute evenly.
Season and adjust
- Taste the soup and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
- The broth may already contain salt, so add gradually and taste after each pinch.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Soup is well-seasoned to your preference
Tip: Always taste before adding more salt, since commercial hot dogs and broth are often salty already.
Melt in cheese and serve
- Remove the pot from the heat.
- Add the shredded cheddar cheese in two additions, stirring gently after each addition until the cheese is fully melted and the soup is smooth and creamy.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Cheese is completely melted and soup is creamy and homogeneous
Tip: Stir off the heat so the cheese melts evenly and doesn't clump. If you add it to a boiling pot, it may separate and become stringy.
Good to know
Tips
- Red lentils are key to this recipe because they break down as they cook, making the soup naturally creamy without needing cream or a roux. This also makes the recipe budget-friendly.
- For a creamier soup, blend half of it with an immersion blender before adding the cheese, then stir in the reserved chunky portion for a textured finish.
- Slice hot dogs thin so they heat through quickly and distribute throughout the soup evenly. Thick chunks can take longer and may split if the broth boils too aggressively.
- This soup freezes well but is best made fresh the day you plan to serve it to enjoy the hot dogs' best texture.
Make ahead
You can prepare the soup through step 4 (hot dogs added) up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Reheat gently over medium-low heat, then add the cheese as directed in step 6 just before serving.
Storage & reheating
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm gently over medium-low heat on the stovetop, stirring occasionally, until steaming. Do not add the cheese until serving—reheat the base soup first, then add cheese as in step 6. The soup can be frozen for up to 2 months in freezer-safe containers; thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Note: Cheese may separate slightly when frozen, so it's best to add fresh cheese when reheating a previously frozen batch.
Substitutions
- red lentils, rinsed → Yellow lentils or split peas. These will cook at about the same speed as red lentils and create a similarly creamy base. Avoid brown or green lentils, which take much longer and won't break down as much.
- sharp cheddar cheese, block or shredded → Mild cheddar, Colby, or Monterey Jack cheese. Use any firm melting cheese you prefer. Avoid very hard cheeses like Parmesan, which won't melt smoothly into the soup.
- pre-cooked hot dogs (all-beef or pork) → Sliced kielbasa, smoked sausage, or cooked ham. Any pre-cooked smoked meat will work here and add similar savory flavor and protein. Cut into appropriate pieces for even cooking.
- low-sodium chicken broth → Vegetable broth or beef broth. Use whichever broth you prefer or have on hand. Vegetable broth will lighten the flavor slightly; beef broth will deepen it.
