Lentil Vegetable Soup
Red lentils with carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes and cumin in a simple broth. Lentils dissolve into the soup as they cook, giving it body without any blending. About 14g of fiber per bowl. Gets better the next day.
Ingredients
- 300 gred lentils
- 3 carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 400 gcanned diced tomatoes
- 1.5 lvegetable broth
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 1.5 tspcumin
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1 tspturmeric
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 lemon
- 2 tbspfresh parsley
Method
- Rinse the red lentils thoroughly until the water runs clear. They don't need soaking — the rinse removes surface starch that makes the soup cloudy and slightly gluey if you skip it.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook 5 minutes until soft. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the cumin, smoked paprika and turmeric and stir 30 seconds — the spices need heat to release their depth. Adding them to cold liquid tastes raw.
- Add the diced carrots and celery. Stir and cook 3 minutes.
- Add the rinsed lentils, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 25–30 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the lentils have dissolved into the soup and the vegetables are fully soft.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir. Taste and adjust salt. The lemon is not optional — without acid, lentil soup tastes flat and heavy. Add it after the heat is off so the flavor stays bright.
- Serve with chopped parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and crusty bread. Keeps 5 days in the fridge and freezes well.
FAQ
Flat lentil soup usually skipped two steps. First: the spices weren't bloomed in oil. Cumin and paprika added directly to liquid taste raw and one-dimensional. They need 30 seconds in hot oil before anything else goes in. Second: no acid at the end. A squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar after cooking pulls the flavors together. If you want even more depth, cook a tablespoon of tomato paste with the garlic for 2 minutes before adding the broth — it adds a roasted, savory layer.
Rate this
Keep browsing
More dishes from the American archive — picked by overlap with what you're cooking now.
Join the conversation
Comments (1)
Season this lentil vegetable soup in stages, not all at once. I add salt three times: when the red lentils goes in, halfway through cooking, and a final adjustment right before serving. Each addition builds on the last.