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Red Lentil Soup Recipe with Vegetables

Name: Red Lentil Soup Recipe With Vegetables
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 38 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoon olive oil; 1 large onion; 3 carrots, peeled; 2 celery stalks; 1 potato, peeled; 2 garlic cloves, minced ((or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)); 2 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 teaspoon ground cumin or curry powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; Optional: pinch of cayenne, chili powder and/or coriander seed; 4 cups (946ml) vegetable stock, broth or chicken broth ((1 box)); 1 cup (237m) water; 1 cup (200g) red lentils; 1/2 large lemon ((lemon zest and juice)); 1/4 cup (2 oz) chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

By Two Kooks in the KitchenCheryl March 5, 2019January 6, 2022

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This red lentil soup recipe with vegetables is a healthy, hearty, satisfying meal in a bowl. Perfect for a weeknight meal served with crusty bread.

The soup is thick, rich and flavorful – and super nutritious. Don’t miss it – it’s the best lentil soup, consistently rated in our top 5!

Lentils are a good source of soluble fiber, protein, folate, and other minerals and vitamins. The carrots, onions, celery and potato add even more nutrition.

You can adjust the flavor and spices to your taste with coriander, more cumin or even hot sauce or chili flakes. We love the lemon in the soup which gives it gives it a bright zing.

We typically serve this red lentil vegetable soup as a full meal with fresh crusty bread. And maybe a side salad. But of course you can serve smaller cups of the soup as a starter. Be careful though – it’s filling. The soup is also nice with grilled cheese on the grill. a piece of homemade naan or our panzanella salad recipe with grilled chicken.

One more thing, this healthy meal freezes well, making it a great make-ahead soup. So make a large pot of soup and enjoy it for weeks.

Shortcuts

Throw all the vegetables in the processor for a rough chop (pulse a few times) instead of dicing them all by hand.
Use garlic in the jar or frozen garlic cubes instead of mincing garlic cloves.

Tailor To Your Taste

Substitutes

Substitute cilantro for the parsley. Here’s a quick 101 on Herbs: The Bare Essentials.
Use a cup of diced tomatoes (no juice) instead of tomato paste
Try sweet potatoes instead of carrots.
Use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth
You can use green lentils instead of red lentils, but the cooking time will be longer (about 45 minutes) and they won’t disintegrate and soften the way red lentils do.

Other variations

Add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Alter the seasonings to your taste e.g add a bay leaf, coriander or chili flakes for some heat.
Add more broth to make it a thinner soup
Add a splash of coconut milk
Puree all or part of the soup with an immersion or stick blender for a creamy lentil soup.
Omit the lemon

Make Ahead

The red lentil soup recipe with vegetables can be frozen for a couple of months. We like to freeze it in smaller lunch-size portions.

Other hearty soup recipes you might like

All of these can either be served as starters or as meals in a bowl.

How to make this red lentil vegetable soup

Ingredients: Red Lentils, lemon, carrots, celery, onions, broth, garlic, potato, seasonings, tomato paste

veggies chopped in food processor — Chop veggies in food processor.

sauted veggies in pot — Sauté onions, carrots and celery in a large soup pot. Add seasonings and tomato sauce.

Red Lentil Vegetable Soup finished in pot — Add broth and lentils. Cook until tender.

Add a good squeeze of lemon if you like and serve.

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4.67 from 108 votes