Traditional Lentil Soup Recipe
This Traditional Lentil Soup Recipe is simple, delicious, and budget-friendly. Healthy and packed with plant-based protein, it's naturally vegan, gluten-free, allergy-free, and made with nutrient-packed lentils, vegetables, and comforting herbs and spices! An easy and quick one-pot meal that's perfect for weeknight family dinners or meal prep you can freeze!
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 Servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stove-Top
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
- 2 Cups Chopped Celery
- 2 Cups Sliced Carrots
- 12 oz Dry Brown Lentils (about 2 cups)
- 1 to 2 TB Tomato Paste
- 1 Bay leaf
- ½ Tsp Cumin (to taste)
- ½ Tsp Smoked Paprika (to taste)
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper (to taste)
- 8 Cups Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Herbs (Dill or Parsley)
- 1 Small Lemon
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat in a large soup pot before adding the minced garlic and diced onion, then allow them to saute for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and the onion begins to soften.
- Add the celery and carrots to the sauteing garlic and onions. Allow the veggies to cook for 3-4 minutes over a medium-low heat.
- Add the dried lentils, tomato paste, bay leaf, and seasonings to the pot and mix everything together before pouring in the 8 cups of vegetable broth.
- Cover the pot and bring the soup to a slight boil before reducing the heat and allowing the soup to simmer over low heat for about 25-30 minutes.
- Once the lentils and veggies are soft, remove the soup from the heat. Taste the broth and adjust any seasonings; add salt if needed.
- Add in the fresh lemon juice (start with half a lemon) and herbs. You can also skip this step and add the lemon juice and herbs directly to your individual servings.
Notes
- Always give your lentils a quick rinse before cooking to remove grit.
- Only add the lemon juice and salt at the end of the cooking process to prevent the lentils from getting tough.
- Adjust and add any seasonings you'd like! My amounts are just suggestions.
- Leftovers: Allow the soup to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container and placing it in the fridge for up to 7 days. This also works if you plan on meal-prepping the soup to have on hand throughout the week! You can hold off on adding the fresh herbs and lemon juice into the soup until you heat up portions you will be serving, if you want the soup ahead of time.
- Reheat: You can reheat large portions of soup in a pot on the stove, allow the soup to warm up over a simmer, don't bring it to a boil again. You can also microwave individual portions for a super quick and easy lunch for one!
- Freeze: You can freeze the soup by cooling it completely to room temperature before carefully pouring the soup into a freezer-safe container or storing it in smaller portions in freezer-safe bags. Lay the bags flat until the soup is frozen solid for easy stacking in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Frozen soup will be best used within 6-8 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
Find it online: https://strengthandsunshine.com/lentil-soup/
