Lentils are some of the best sources of plant-based protein. They come in several varieties (green, brown, & red/yellow) and you can treat them all the same way. Red lentils tend to be the easiest to cook, so we recommend choosing them for this lentil soup recipe. One of the best things about lentils is their versatility. They can easily take on flavors and don’ require much cooking time. For example, you can make mashed lentils, lentil soup, lentil hummus, or lentil tacos.
This lentil soup take about 20 minutes to cook. After you prep all of the soup ingredients, all you have to do is add everything to one large pot. You just have to sauté onion, carrot, and garlic before adding the lentils, tomatoes, and stock. The reason for sautéing those ingredients is to deepen the flavor of the soup. If you want to increase the aromatics of the soup, season the carrots, onion, and garlic with some extra curry powder and cumin prior to adding the liquid ingredients.
This soup is also adaptable, in the sense that you can replace certain ingredients if you don’t have them on hand. Use water in place of vegetable stock, or sweet potato in place of carrots. Allow the recipe to work for you and enjoy the rest!
- Prep Time:10m
- Cook Time:25m
- Total Time:30m
- Serves: 6 servings
- Category: Soups & Stews, Entrees, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 c dried red lentils
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 6 c low-sodium vegetable stock
- 5 c spinach (optional)
Instructions
- Add the lentils to a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cool water. Make sure to discard any broken or discolored lentils. After one minute or so, set aside and let them drain.
- Pour the olive oil into a large pot over medium-high heat and then add the carrots and onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes and then add the garlic, curry powder, cumin, thyme, and sea salt. Stir and cook for another minute or so.
- Add the lentils to the pot along with the crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock. Mix to combine and bring to a simmer.
- Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the optional spinach. It will wilt in the soup after stirring it for about a minute.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and enjoy.
