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This Red Lentil Soup recipe packed with veggies is the perfect comfort dish to come home to at the end of the day.
Serve with my Perfect Garlic Bread for a weeknight dinner that really fills you up!
I am a well-known soup lover, and family and friends often request one of my soup recipes when they visit for lunch or dinner. I love to see people enjoying my food. This red lentil soup recipe is one of my personal favorites and I’m so pleased to be able to share it with you.
Why This Recipe Works
- The garlic, cumin, and cilantro work together perfectly, packing this soup with flavor.
- The stock and tomato paste add a subtle rich flavor to the base of this soup.
- The lentils make this soup a simple and hearty soup, suitable for serving for lunch or dinner.
About Red Lentils
Red and lentils are sweeter and milder in flavor than other types of lentils. They are a quick cook lentil only taking 15-20 minutes to cook.
They become quite soft when cooked down, so this variety is often used for thickening soups and stews in Middle Eastern and Indian dishes.
A Nutritious & Nourishing Soup
Red lentil soup can be a whole meal and this soup is a great example of that. It’s packed with lentils and vegetables and so tasty you’ll be making it batch after batch!
Lentils are low in calories, rich in iron and folate, and an excellent source of protein. They are full of polyphenols and studies have suggested that they help lower cholesterol. If you use a cooking spray in the place of oil this soup can be made even healthier!
How to Make Red Lentil Soup
- Dice the vegetables until roughly chopped.
- Saute the vegetables until soft (around 5 minutes), then the garlic for another minute.
- Add tomato paste, cumin, stock, and lentils. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning, season as needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
Step by Step Instructions
Dice carrots, onion and celery.
Using a food processor to chop the vegetables helps to make this a quick cook soup as they will soften much faster.
Put diced vegetables into a hot pan and saute until softened (around 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute.
Add Tomato paste, cumin and lentils and stock. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for around 30 minutes until lentils are cooked.
Add lemon juice and cilantro, season to taste, and season as needed. Serve and enjoy!
Both salt and lemon juice can stop lentils from softening so it’s best to wait until the end to add them.
Tips and Variations
- Using a food processor to chop the vegetables helps to make this a quick cook soup as they will soften much faster.
- Both salt and lemon juice can stop lentils from softening so it’s best to wait until the end to add them.
- For a nonvegetarian opinion, make this soup even more hearty by adding bacon or pancetta.
- To make this recipe in the slow cooker, follow the instructions to where you lower the heat to a simmer and then add it to a slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours, add the potatoes and then cook a further 1-2 hours.
Make ahead & Freezing Instructions
Double the ingredients and freeze half for a quick and easy option when you need it. Win-Win!
- To Make Ahead: Make this soup up to 3 days ahead and store in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Freezing: Portion the soup into freezer bags or freezer-safe containers (filling them as much as possible to avoid too much air being trapped) and freeze stacked on top of each other. For up to 3 months.
Other Soups You Will Love
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Recipe
Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 2 carrots (peeled and diced)
- 3 celery stalks (diced)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1½ cups red lentils
- 6 cups vegetable stock (plus more as needed)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or to taste)
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (divided)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Dice the onion, carrots, and celery by hand, or add them to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Cook the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery with a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Build the flavor: Add the tomato paste and cumin. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, until the tomato paste darkens slightly and the cumin smells fragrant.
- Simmer: Stir in the lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the lentils are very soft and beginning to break down.
- Adjust the consistency: If the soup is thicker than you like, stir in a little additional stock until it reaches your preferred consistency.
- Finish and serve: Stir in the lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of the cilantro. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. The lemon should brighten the flavors without making the soup noticeably lemony. Serve topped with the remaining cilantro.
Tips
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