Three things make this vegetarian lentil soup so good: caramelized onions, roasted tomato paste (it’s easy!), and tons of carrots and celery. Make a big pot to have some and save some for later – this soup is freezer friendly!
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
When I was learning to cook, my first challenge was to make a five-gallon pot of lentil soup. Yes, you heard that right, five gallons!
I’ve since tweaked it to make it even tastier. Carrots and celery added to the mix along with caramelized onions and tomato paste make for an even tastier dish that vegetarians and carnivores alike can enjoy with relish.
To top it off, I stir in some kale at the end to make a healthy, comforting soup that everyone can enjoy.
I don’t make five gallons anymore, but I still love making a big pot of this soup and then stashing some in the freezer for a cold or rainy night.
It keeps in the freezer for up to 6 months. It’s like having money in the bank for those dreary fall and winter afternoons when I haven’t shopped and have no intention of doing so.
Video: How to make lentil soup
What are lenses?
They are small legumes and range in color from brown to green, red to yellow, and sometimes even black. Lentils grow in pods along with beans, peanuts and peas. They are high in protein and delicious in soups, stews and on their own in vegetarian and spicy Indian dishes, most famously dal.
Which lentils are best for lentil soup?
We have chosen french green lentils, also known as LePuy, grown in a region in central France, for this recipe. They are small and dark – almost purple in appearance – and hold their shape during cooking. They also take longer to cook than other varieties.
If you can’t find French lentils, you can substitute almost any other variety. You’ll need to adjust the water and cooking time to get the consistency you want, but this is an “eyeball-it” situation – it’s not hard!
Green lentils are our top choice as a substitute. They are large and flat and stay fairly firm when cooked. Just simmer the soup long enough to soften the lentils—check every 10 minutes or so after the 20-minute mark.
Brown, yellow, and red lentils are good next choices. They cook quickly and don’t hold their shape very well. If you replace Puy lenses with these, watch them closely. They can mash easily, and you want some shape and texture for this soup.
How to prepare lentils for cooking
If you’re buying lentils from a storage container, it’s a good idea to spread them out on a tray and pick across them, discarding any small pebbles or debris that might be present. If they appear dusty, rinse them in a colander. Packaged lentils contain fewer impurities, but there’s no downside to checking them before cooking.
You don’t need to soak lentils before cooking. But depending on the variety, they can take anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes to soften when cooked in liquid. They absorb their cooking liquid and many varieties double in size when cooked.
Flavor enhancer for this vegetarian and vegan lentil soup
The best way to add deep flavor to this veggie soup is to caramelize the onions, toast the tomato paste, and add loads of carrots and celery.
- Caramelize onions is simply a process of slowly browning them in the pan. They eventually shrink and get a little sticky, and the sugars in the onions become more pronounced. If the bottom of the pan turns brown before the onions are soft, add water, a tablespoon at a time, to scrape off the brown bits—it will soon evaporate and help color and flavor the onions.
- Roast the tomato paste in the pot is another trick to add intense flavor. It only takes a few minutes of stirring until it turns dark and reddish.
- The final trick is to add plenty of carrots and celery. They’re the supporting cast, delivering essentially the same amount of flavor as veggie broth.
Your food processor saves time
Pulse the onions in a food processor until finely diced. Once you start cooking them, add carrot, celery, and garlic chunks to food processor and chop into small pieces.
What to do with leftovers
Consider freezing the soup in small portion containers so you can pull out at will and use for weekday lunches. This lentil soup recipe will keep in the freezer for up to six months.
substitutions and additions
Make the soup as directed and it’s both vegan and vegetarian! The subs below may or may not make it more of a flexitarian soup.
- Use Worcestershire sauce instead of soy sauce (make sure the Worcestershire sauce is vegan if you want to keep the lentil soup vegan).
- Substitute chicken broth for the water or vegetable broth if you’re not worried about it being vegetarian.
- Add some finely diced potatoes or sweet potatoes with the veggies.
- For a little spiciness, you can add some finely chopped jalapeño or serrano pepper.
- Meat lovers might want to throw in some chopped sausage or sprinkle some bacon on top.
- Garnish the soup with some chopped fresh herbs like cilantro, basil or parsley.
More great soup recipes!
- Simple tomato soup
- Smokey vegan lentil stew
- Curry Squash and Pear Soup
- mushroomcreamsoup
- Moroccan Spiced Sweet Potato Chickpea Stew
From the editors of Simply Recipes
lentil soup
To achieve a creamy consistency, I like to puree some of the soup in the blender and put it back into the pot. Like most lentil soups, this one will thicken as it sits. So be prepared to add more water when reheating, or just enjoy as a stew.
ingredients
-
2 tablespoon olive oil
-
1 big yellow onionfinely diced
-
2 tablespoon tomato paste
-
1 teaspoon dried thyme
-
1 clove garlicfinely diced
-
3 stems celeryfinely diced
-
3 carrotspeeled and finely diced
-
2 cups (12 ounces) Little Green French lenses
-
8th cups water or vegetable broth
-
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
-
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher Saltplus more to taste
-
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepperplus more to taste
-
3 tablespoon lemon juiceplus more to taste
-
1/2 bunch Kalestemmed and thinly sliced crosswise
method
-
Caramelize onions:
Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until deep golden brown.
-
Cook tomato paste and greens:
Push the onions to the edge of the pot. And in the space you made add the tomato paste. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the tomato paste turns a reddish brown. Add thyme, garlic, celery and carrots. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
-
Add lentils and liquid, then let simmer:
Add the lentils, 8 cups water, soy sauce, salt and pepper to the saucepan. Turn the heat down to medium so that the soup is just simmering. Simmer for 55 to 60 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
-
Finish and serve the soup:
Scoop out 2 cups of the soup and puree in a blender until smooth, or use an immersion blender and puree until the soup gets some body and thickens but you still have texture. Pour the blended soup back into the saucepan and stir in the lemon juice. Add the sliced kale and simmer until the kale is tender, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Taste and add more salt, pepper and lemon juice if you like. Serve with a nice slice of crusty bread or a side salad.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 240 | calories |
| 4g | Fat |
| 39g | carbohydrates |
| 13g | protein |
