Lentil Soup

4.94 from 29 votes

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

This hearty and healthy Lentil Soup is filled with nourishing vegetables, lentils, and the perfect blend of spices. This easy one pot meal is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and SO delicious!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keyword: plant based

Servings:

Calories: 186kcal

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 dried bay leaves
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
28 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed well
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
Dash of crushed red pepper flakes or pinch of cayenne, optional
2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach (can use kale)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and red pepper and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for one more minute.
Add the dried bay leaves, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, thyme, tomatoes, and vegetable broth.
Stir in the rinsed lentils and season with salt and black pepper. If you want the soup to have a little heat, you can add in a little crushed red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper. Bring the soup to a boil. Place the lid on the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let the soup simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until lentils are soft.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup a little. I do about 3 turns around the pan with the blender. You don’t want to puree the entire soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a regular blender. Remove 2 cups of the soup from the pot and let cool for a few minutes before blending. Blend and return the pureed soup back into the pot and stir.
Add the spinach and fresh lemon juice. Stir and taste. Add additional salt and pepper, If necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm.

Nutrition