Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup
This Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup is one of those recipes I make when I want something warm and filling without much effort. Red lentils, a few chopped vegetables and some simple spices, all in one pot. It’s naturally gluten free and ready in under an hour.
I first had this soup in Dubai. I was going through a bit of an illness at the time and needed simple, easy to digest food that was also gluten free, so my options were limited. My husband had just come back from a trip to Iran and wanted to try a Persian restaurant nearby. We ordered the soup as a starter, more out of curiosity than anything.
It ended up being one of the best soups I’ve ever had. Light, almost airy, but so full of flavor for something as simple as red lentils. We went back to that restaurant several times just for it.
After we moved away from Dubai, I decided to recreate it at home. I added more vegetables like carrot and celery, and a bit more spice for extra flavor. Red lentils aren’t new to me at all. My Sri Lankan Red Lentil Dal is something I make two or three times a week, so I already knew how quickly they cook down and how much flavor they can hold. That made recreating this soup pretty straightforward.
This soup is hit on weeknight just like my Creamy tomato soup. Everything cooks in one pot, there’s very little oil, and the spice level is entirely up to you. I keep it mild for the kids and let everyone add their own chili flakes at the table.
Ingredient You’ll Need
- Olive oil: just enough to sauté, this soup doesn’t need much
- Red lentils: the base of the soup, no soaking needed
- Chicken stock: adds a deep, savory base (swap for vegetable stock to make this vegetarian and vegan) or a chicken stock cube
- Onion: the aromatic base
- Tomatoes: adds body and a touch of tang
- Ginger and garlic: fresh minced or ginger garlic paste, whichever you have on hand
- Cumin, coriander and turmeric powder: some spices to add flavor
- Carrot and celery: bulk up the soup with veggies
- Parsley: fresh, some stirred in and some saved for garnish
- Chili flakes: adjust up or down depending on how much heat you like
How To Make Red Lentil And Vegetable Soup
- Rinse the lentils. Give your red lentils a good rinse under cold water until it runs clear, then drain.
- Cook the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until it turns color. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for another minute or two, just until the raw smell fades.
- Add the tomatoes and spices. Toss in the chopped tomatoes and let them soften for a minute. Sprinkle in the turmeric, coriander and cumin powder and give everything a good stir.
- Add the veggies. Add the carrot and celery. Sauté for a few minutes, stirring so the vegetables get coated in all those spices.
- Bring it together. Stir in the rinsed lentils, then pour in the chicken stock. Add the chopped parsley, holding back a little to garnish later. Season with salt to taste.
- Simmer. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it’s bubbling, drop the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, until the lentils and vegetables are completely soft.
- Blend. Take the pot off the heat and blend until smooth. An immersion blender makes this easy, but a regular blender works too, just blend in batches. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the soup feels too thick, thin it out with an extra cup of stock or water.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and finish with a drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of chili flakes and the reserved parsley.
We usually keep it simple in our house and serve this soup with a good squeeze of lemon on top. It brightens up the soup. If you want something heartier, add a handful of croutons for crunch or serve it with thick slices of crusty bread for dipping.
Here’s More Soup Recipes For you
- Creamy Tomato Soup
- Roasted Broccoli Soup
- Pumpkin Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Quinoa Soup
- Instant Pot Thai Curried Butternut Squash Soup
DID YOU MAKE IT? Please leave a comment and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe!
Recipe
Lentil and Vegetable Soup
Equipment
- Stick Blender
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 cup Red lentils
- 5 cups Chicken stock* or 1 chicken stock cube
- 1 Onion medium
- 2 Tomatoes medium
- 2 tsp Ginger & Garlic paste*
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 Carrot large
- 1 stalk Celery
- ½ cup Parsley chopped
- Chili flakes
- Lemon slices
Instructions
- Wash the red lentils until water runs clear and drain.
- Heat oil in a pot and add the chopped onions. When onions start to turn into light brown add the ginger and garlic. Cook till the raw smell disappears.
- Add the chopped tomatoes. Saute the tomatoes for a minute. Then add the turmeric, coriander and cumin powder.
- Add the chooped carrots and celery. Saute for a few minutes mixing till the vegetables are coated with spices.
- Add the lentils and give it a good stir. Add the chicken stock and chopped parsley. Reserve some parsley to serve on top. Add salt to taste.
- Increase the heat to medium high and let the soup come to a boil. Then decrease it to a medium and let it simmer for about thirty minutes till the vegetables and lentils are cooked.
- Once cooked, take off heat and blend it to a smooth soup. Adjust seasoning. If the soup is thick add an extra cup of chicken stock or water to thin it down.
- Serve it drizzled with a bit of oil, chili flakes and chopped parsley. Add a squeeze of lemon to brighten the soup.
Notes
- No chicken stock? Use a chicken stock cube with the required amount of water.
- For a vegetarian or vegan version, swap chicken stock for vegetable stock.
- No ginger garlic paste on hand? Use 1 tsp minced garlic and ½ tsp minced ginger instead.
- Adjust chili flakes up or down depending on your spice tolerance.
Nutrition
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