Lentil Soup is thick and hearty, packed with veggies and lentils. This soup is incredibly filling and truly comfort in a bowl.
Looking for more ways to use lentils? Try adding some cooked lentils to this vegetarian shepherd’s pie or these vegetarian enchiladas.
Flavorful Lentil Soup
I’ve never liked any lentil soup recipe enough to share until now. After making and eating (hello comfort food!) a lot of batches this week while feeling a bit sick, I’ve finally got a perfect Lentil Soup recipe.
I used up all the leftover veggies from my fridge, so if you need to clear out yours, this is the meal for you. It’s packed with carrots, onion, celery, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes—it’s like a healthful vegetable soup with lentils!
The lentils make this soup really filling and high in protein. With just the right spices and a splash of lemon, it’s totally delicious.
Ingredients In Lentil Soup
- Olive oil: Makes the vegetables soft and adds flavor.
- Onion, carrots, celery: These are the basic veggies that make the soup taste really good.
- Garlic: Adds a strong and yummy taste.
- Potatoes & sweet potatoes: Make the soup thicker and filling.
- Lentils: Add protein and make the soup even thicker.
- Tomato paste and spices: Make the soup taste spicy and rich.
- Bay leaves: Give a special flavor that’s subtle but nice.
- Lemon juice & zest: Make the soup taste fresh and zingy.
- Parsley: Adds a fresh green taste.
- Vegetable broth & chicken stock: They are the liquid that everything cooks in, making it actually a soup.
- Diced & crushed tomatoes: Add a tomatoey flavor and chunks for a nice texture.
How To Make Lentil Soup From Scratch
- Chop your veggies.
- Cook onions, carrots, and celery in a pot. Add garlic and potatoes after a few minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste and spices for extra flavor.
- Add tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes.
- Pour in lentils and broth, then let the soup simmer for about 25-30 minutes until everything is soft.
- Add parsley and lemon to the soup.
- Serve hot with Parmesan cheese and bread on the side.
Tips For Success
- Vary the vegetables: Use any veggies you have on hand.
- Adjust texture: For a smoother soup, blend 2 cups and mix it back in.
- Control thickness: Add more broth or stock if you prefer a thinner soup.
- Skim off froth: Take off the foam that forms on top to make lentils easier to digest.
- Layer flavors: Spend time cooking the aromatics and spices for better taste.
- Use fresh ingredients: Don’t skip parsley, lemon zest, or juice for the best flavor.
- Cut veggies evenly: Dice everything small and uniformly for consistent cooking.
Storage
How To Store Leftovers
- To refrigerate: Allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. Lentil soup will keep for 4-5 days when properly stored. This soup makes a great weekly meal prep!
- To freeze: Allow soup to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container (leaving about an inch of room for expansion). Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw straight from the freezer on the stovetop (reheat gently) or in the microwave. You may want to add an extra splash or two of broth as it will be thicker upon thawing.
Lentil Soup FAQs
What Type Of Lentils Are Best For Lentil Soup?
Use dried brown or green lentils; they cook in 20-30 minutes, thicken the soup, and add mild flavor. Red lentils get mushy and change the texture, while Puy lentils take too long to cook and may overcook the veggies.
Can I Use Canned Lentils?
I recommend dried lentils for better flavor, texture, and cost. If using canned, add one drained and rinsed can after 15 minutes of simmering, then cook for 10-15 more minutes until tender.
Do Lentils Need To Be Soaked?
No! Lentils do not need to be soaked before using in this soup. For this recipe, I rinse them off and then they cook in the soup.
More Soup Recipes
- Healthy Minestrone Soup with quinoa
- Chicken Vegetable Soup with roasted vegetables
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup a delicious twist on chicken noodle soup!
- Sausage Potato Soup reader favorite recipe
- Creamy Vegetable Soup loaded with fresh AND frozen veggies
Lentil Soup
Lentil Soup is hearty, veggie-packed, and ultra comforting—a filling bowl of goodness perfect for any day.
Equipment
- Large cast-iron pot or Dutch oven
- Blender optional
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion 1 small onion
- 1 cup diced carrots 2 medium carrots
- 1/2 cup diced celery 1 to 2 stalks
- 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic 4 cloves
- 1 cup diced Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 cup diced sweet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted crushed tomatoes or an extra can of diced
- 3/4 cup lentils brown or green, rinsed in cold water
- 1 (32-ounce) container vegetable broth
- 1-1/2 cups chicken stock or additional vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup finely chopped freshly flat leaf parsley
- Hearty buttered bread for serving
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large, cast-iron pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium. Once shimmering, add in the diced yellow onion, diced carrots (no need to peel), and diced celery. Cook, stirring frequently, 5–7 minutes. Add in garlic, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Add diced potatoes (again, no need to peel) and diced sweet potatoes (I do peel these). Stir to coat everything in the oil and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and all seasonings: ground cumin, Italian seasoning, yellow curry powder, ground turmeric, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir, toasting the seasonings and coating all the veggies. Cook for 2 minutes. Add undrained fire-roasted diced tomatoes and undrained fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. Cook 2–3 more minutes, stirring frequently, to bring out all the flavors.
- Rinse the lentils in cold water in a fine mesh sieve. Add lentils, vegetable broth, and chicken stock (or additional vegetable broth) into the pot. Stir in the bay leaves.
- Increase heat and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, you’ll see some bubbles or froth at the top of the pot. Skim this off with a spoon and discard. Stir, then reduce heat to medium low so the soup is gently simmering. Partially cover the pot with a lid, leaving some room for steam to escape. Cook 25–30 minutes or until lentils are tender (they should still hold their shape).
- Optional (creamier texture): Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a high-powered blender. Securely fasten the lid and blend until smooth (watch out for steam!). Pour the blended soup back into the pot and stir. I occasionally do this, but also enjoy the texture of all the veggies—up to you!
- Remove the pot from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings; add additional lemon juice if desired, salt and pepper if needed, and/or a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir in the freshly chopped parsley.
- Serve while hot. Top individual bowls with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Leftovers will keep (stored properly in an airtight container) for about 4–5 days in the fridge.
Video
Recipe Notes
Tips:
- Thin the soup. I like this soup thick and hearty, but if you’d like it thinner, add some additional vegetable broth or stock.
- Skim the surface of the soup. When cooking lentils, a froth will rise to the top. I like to skim this off with a spoon; this makes the lentils easier to digest. The froth forms as a result of lentils releasing gas and enzymes as they cook.
- Take your time. This soup requires quite a few ingredients to sauté and toast before it can be left alone to simmer. Take your time sauteing the aromatics, toasting the spices, and sauteing the tomatoes; these steps add layers of flavor.
- Don’t forget the fresh ingredients. The freshly chopped parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice truly make all the flavors in the soup sing; I wouldn’t recommend leaving any of these ingredients out.
- Finely dice or chop the veggies. In order for everything to cook in the right time, we want the onion, celery, and carrot finely diced. The potatoes also need to be chopped small—1/2-inch or smaller cubes. The more evenly cut the veggies are, the more evenly they’ll cook (we don’t want some mushy and some hard).
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.3g | Protein: 8.8g | Fat: 9.9g | Sodium: 398.1mg | Fiber: 6.3g | Sugar: 8.3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made almost as directed. Great recipe and will repeat. I love lentil soup and this is the most flavorful recipe I’ve found in a while. Mine took longer to cook the lentils and veggies (used double Yukon golds as I didn’t have sweet potatoes). I also didn’t have diced or crushed tomatoes but did have a single 28 Oz can of San Marizano tomatoes. I cut them up a little more, as much as I could putting a knife in a glass bowl of them. Anyway, great lentil soup recipe!
Delish! I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Celia! 🙂
Fabulous-added a small pack of cheese tortalini.
Delish! So glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Thanks for such a yummy, hearty recipe. Subtable for both vegan and non-vegan as is the case in our family. I’ve bookmarked it as my go-to lentil soup recipe.
I am so thrilled to hear how much you loved this! Thanks Suzi! 🙂
Sooo tasty!
Thank you! 🙂
I thought the seasoning was wonderful. I used all of the herbs and spices called for, and together they added such a nice depth of flavor. I did not, however have any potatoes, and what I thought was a bag of red lentils turned out to be yellow split peas, which I went ahead and used. They could have used a little more time to cook – they weren’t crunchy by any means, but they were still pretty firm when I was ready to dish up the soup. The fire roasted tomatoes added a little more heat than I usually like, but this soup was delicious to me, so I’m glad I tried it out. I will add this recipe to my “keep” folder! Thanks!
Yay! Thrilled it makes it into the “keep” folder! Thanks Robin!
Looks yummy. I eat lentil soup my whole life, it popular dish in my country but i have to admit i have never heard about topping it with cheese or eating it with salad. Probably never heard about any soup that is served with salad.
Haha that’s so crazy! We always had soup with a salad growing up! 🙂
Made this tonight. What a wonderful soup! Loved the flavors. Didn’t have sweet potatoes so added bell peppers instead. Adding to my lineup of favorite soups. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This is a follow up from my Vegan daughter & me! She makes this about every 2 weeks – so obviously it is a hit! I really enjoy the “layering” of flavors; it made such a difference. This time I am adding white beans instead of potatoes. Thanks.
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thank you so much Kathy! 🙂
Absolutely delicious ..I added kale to soup at end. Just wanted to mention THANK YOU for having the measurements in the description…so much easier than flipping up constantly. Love all your recipes!
MMMM kale at the end sounds delish! Thanks so much for your kind comment, I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes! 🙂
I LOVE this recipe!! I make a big batch and keep single serve portions in the freezer. I am a night shift nurse so this is a perfect meal to fill me up and keep those middle of the night cravings away. My husband is also a huge fan of this meatless meal – a sentence I never thought I would say! Thanks for this go to recipe!
I am thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much for your work on the front lines! 🙂