Traditional Lentil Soup
Best Lentil Soup Recipe – Traditional lentil soup is a cozy vegetarian dish brimming with fresh veggies in a rich tomato broth. It’s rustic and simple, but has plenty of robust flavors to keep you going back for more!
Why We Love This Traditional Lentil Soup Recipe
We are huge fans of simple vegetarian soups that offer big bang for your buck, taste amazing, and *actually* fill you up. Our Traditional Lentil Soup features flavorful, budget-friendly green lentils, and plenty of veggies, so every bite makes you feel good all over… From your wallet to your tummy!
This gluten-free vegetarian and vegan lentil soup recipe is quick to make and easy to customize. The lentils cook into a filling, tomato-based stew broth that you can add all your favorite veggies to. And while it’s incredibly thick and robust, the soup comes together in under an hour using mostly pantry staples!
Serve with bread for dipping, and watch the whole family fall in love with this hearty and rustic soup. It’s sure to become your new midweek go-to recipe to get plenty of veggies with little effort!
Ingredients You Need
- Olive oil – or other high-heat and neutral-tasting cooking oil, like avocado oil or canola oil
- Onion – peeled and chopped
- Bell pepper – any color, seeded and chopped
- Celery – chopped
- Garlic – minced
- Dried lentils – green lentils are best in this quick and easy soup recipe
- Carrots – sliced
- Vegetable broth – or chicken broth for a non-vegetarian version
- Tomato paste – canned or concentrated in a tube
- Italian seasoning – you’ll love our homemade Italian seasoning blend
- Ground cumin – for an earthy, slightly savory flavor
- Kale – or spinach, chopped
- Red wine vinegar – or lemon juice
- Salt and pepper – a bit of each to taste
How to Make Lentil and Vegetable Soup
- First, prep all of the veggies: Chop the onions, pepper, celery, garlic, and carrots.
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Stir in the onions, peppers, celery, and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes to soften.
- Then add the lentils, carrots, broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and cumin.
- Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender.
Get the Complete (Printable) Traditional Lentil Soup Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!
- Once the lentils are soft and the stew has had time to thicken, stir in the chopped kale and vinegar. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve warm as-is or garnished with chopped scallions and hot sauce.
Recipe Variations
- Broth – Swap vegetable broth for chicken stock if you aren’t on a vegetarian diet. You can also use bullion and water if you don’t have a full carton of broth.
- Veggies – Mix and match nearly any vegetables you want in this recipe! Try it with sliced mushrooms, zucchini squash, spinach, fresh or frozen corn, or other hearty seasonal veg you like. You can also add a can of diced tomatoes for extra tomato-y goodness!
- Lentils – We prefer the toothsomeness of green lentils in this traditional soup. But feel free to use brown or red lentils instead, which will break down a bit more for a softer texture.
- Protein – Lentils already contain a nice bit of protein, but for an extra boost, consider adding in a can of rinsed and drained white beans (AKA cannellini beans). For a non-vegetarian recipe, you can add cooked and chopped chicken, turkey, or ham to the soup in the last few minutes of simmering.
- Servings – As-is, this lentil soup recipe makes about 10-12 servings. This is great for feeding a crowd or for when you want to make a large batch of soup to have on hand for meal prepping. But if you don’t need quite that much, feel free to halve the ingredients and make this a recipe to feed 5-6 people.
Serving Suggestions
Garnish bowlfuls of the soup with chopped green onions or fresh parsley, plus a dash (or two) of hot sauce, if you like. You can also sprinkle on parmesan cheese for an extra touch of yumminess.
This warm, perfectly thick, zesty soup is incredible to sop up with hunks of crusty bread! Or serve bowls with slices of toasted baguette, squares of homemade focaccia, or breadsticks.
I also always pair soup and breadsticks with salad, of course! A simple, fresh green salad is quick and easy to put together and helps lighten the richness of the lentil soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
The sharp tangy flavor of vinegar (or lemon juice) cuts through and balances the rich tomato broth and earthy, hearty lentils. The brightness makes the dish a lighter soup versus a heavier stew.
This soup is great to cook one night and enjoy for quick and satisfying lunches throughout the week. Leftovers will keep well for up to 4-5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yes, you can! Let the soup cool completely before transferring to an airtight freezer-safe container. I suggest wrapping the container in a layer of aluminum foil for extra protection. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Looking for More Easy Soup Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Creamy Vegetable Soup
- Homemade Vegetable Soup
- Vegetarian Navy Bean Soup
- Tomato Potato White Bean Soup
- Minestrone Soup (Olive Garden Copycat Recipe)
Traditional Lentil Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 1 bell pepper seeded and chopped (any color)
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 16 ounces dried green lentils
- 1 ½ cups sliced carrots
- 10 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup chopped kale or spinach
- 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Chop the onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and carrots.
- Set a large 6-8 quart soup pot over medium heat. Add olive oil to the pot. Then stir in the onions, peppers, celery, and garlic. Sauté the aromatics for 5 minutes to soften.
- Then add the green lentils, sliced carrots, vegetable broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and cumin.
- Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the lentils are soft and the stew has had time to thicken, stir in the chopped kale and vinegar. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve warm as-is or garnished with chopped scallions and hot sauce.
I really enjoyed how quick and easy this soup was to make. I don’t have a lot of time to make dinner and this was ready in about 45 minutes, with pretty minimal effort! My kids loved it too. Huge win!!
I’m a vegetarian and always on the hunt for easy veggie-packed dinners. This lentil soup was SO GOOD! Even my non-vegetarian boyfriend loved it!
This is such a simple and flavor-packed meal that I come back to time and time again!