This Lentil Soup Recipe is thick, hearty, and loaded with veggies and lentils. It’s filling, flavorful, and the ultimate comfort in a bowl.
author’s note
My Ride-or-Die Lentil Soup Recipe!
I’ve never loved a lentil soup enough to share until now. This recipe came to life after I spent a week feeling under the weather and made pot after pot of soup, trying to get the flavor and texture just right. By the end of the week, I finally had it: a soup that’s wholesome, comforting, and incredibly satisfying.
I also love how practical it is. This soup is the perfect way to use up leftover veggies in the fridge, and it works with whatever odds and ends you’ve got on hand.
If you’re in the mood for something warm and nourishing, or just need a meal that makes the most of what you already have, this Lentil Soup Recipe with a big homemade roll is exactly what you want simmering on the stove.
Lentil Soup Recipe Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swaps & Tips |
|---|---|
| Lentils | Use green or brown lentils (not red since they get mushy). If using canned lentils, rinse, drain, and add halfway through cooking. |
| Vegetables (carrots, onion, celery, garlic) | Toss in bell peppers, zucchini, or parsnips if you need to clean out the fridge. |
| Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes | Skip peeling gold potatoes. Peel sweet potatoes for best texture. You can also use butternut squash. |
| Tomatoes (diced & crushed) | Do not drain the cans. The juices add flavor. |
| Broth (vegetable or chicken) | Stick to veggie broth for vegetarian or vegan. Use chicken stock for more richness. |
| Lemon Juice & Zest | Always add off heat to keep flavors fresh. A splash of red wine vinegar works too. |
| Lentil Soup Seasonings | Sauté tomato paste and spices for extra flavor before adding liquids. |
Tips For Success
- Vary the vegetables: Use any veggies you have on hand for this lentil soup recipe.
- 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.
Storage
How To Store Leftovers
- Fridge: Cool, move to a sealed container, and store in the fridge for 4–5 days.
- Freezer: Cool, move to a container safe for the freezer (leave space), and freeze up to 3 months. Warm up slowly and stir in a little broth if the soup is too thick.
More Soup Recipes:
Soups And Stews
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe
Soups And Stews
Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe
Soups And Stews
Sausage Potato Soup
Soups And Stews
Creamy Vegetable Soup
Lentil Soup Recipe
This Lentil Soup Recipe is hearty, veggie-packed, and ultra comforting—a filling bowl of goodness perfect for any day.
Video
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 baby 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 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 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.
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.
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.
Delicious. Had never cooked lentils before! Used bone broth to up the protein and added frozen chopped spinach at the end instead of parsley. The flavor profile is so unique and rich and interesting. Not a boring soup!!! I might add ground beef or turkey next time. Definitely a keeper!
Delish! I’m so glad it was a hit! Let me know what you think if you try it with beef or turkey next time! Thanks Kim!
I love this soup! The spices sound like they wouldn’t work together (Italian with curry???!) But they do. Funny story – the first time I made this soup I saw that the recipe called for one whole lemon. When I read the instrction to add lemon zest, I clearly missed the part that says 0.5 tsp of lemon zest because I zested the ENTIRE LEMON and ended up with “lemonade soup”. You literally could not taste anything else. I almost cried because I’d spent so long Chopping and making sure everything was perfect. Needless to say, I will never make that mistake again!
I’m so thrilled you’re loving this! And i’m so sad about your first batch. There is nothing worse than prepping and making something and it not being right! So glad you gave it another chance!
I just came across this recipe while I was
Looking for an intro on lentils. I have never cooked them before, and your recipe sounds easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing. I love hearty soups. One little thing, can I omit the curry and not compromise the dish.
You can, but a lot of flavor does come from that curry powder! You might want to add some other spices to compensate
What other spices would you use? Since you used cumin I
Could use coriander, make it more Mexican? Throw in some corn? What do you think?
You might like this lentil soup better: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/beef-lentil-soup/
I thought the soup was good very clean tasting however, I may simmer it a little bit longer to make it thicker 🙂 what do you consider to be a serving size?
I am so thrilled you enjoyed! You can definitely simmer longer or blend some of the lentils to make it thicker! 🙂 If you split into 6 bowls that would be each serving size.
This soup was amazing! Such good flavor without being spicy. Very hearty. Even my 5 and 7 year old daughters liked it. I added some chopped spinach at the same time as the parsley to get some extra green in and it worked great! I’ve always been a pretty pick eater and have a hard time eating veggies. This was a fantastic way to get a bunch of them in a meal without choking them down. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Seriously sooooo good.
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Emily! 🙂
Can you use red lentils in this recipe instead of brown or green?
Red cooks a lot faster so you’d need to adjust when to add them so they aren’t mushy!
This was delicious! I never knew all those seasonings together would work. I halved the recipe and made the following modifications: eliminated the oil, omitted the carrots and Yukon potatoes, used regular petite diced tomatoes instead of fire roasted. Next time I won’t add the salt as my veg broth was not sodium free. This will be a regular soup for me!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thank you so much Carol! 🙂
Another delicious meal. Soo good. I can’t thank you enough for this hearty, healthy delicious. We just ate it like a soup. I made it for 21 servings so I can share it with my coworkers and yummmm… It’s sooo good. I didn’t have the fire-roasted crushed tomato. I used the diced tomato and put those in first. I also cook the lentil first before I add the carrots and celeries. I highly recommend it. Even shared the recipe to my coworker. Thank you again.
I am so happy to hear this! Thank you so much! 🙂