Red Lentil Soup

This red lentil soup is one of those simple, flavor-packed recipes that earns a spot in your regular rotation. Made with pantry staples like red lentils, cumin, and vegetable broth, it’s creamy, earthy, comforting, and brightened with fresh lemon.

It’s naturally vegan and gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and perfect for cozy meals during cold weather.

Dried red lentils are easy to find and any variety will work here — I used these for this recipe. They’re also incredibly good for you, packed with plant-based protein and high in fiber!

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Red Lentil Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• ½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small Yukon Gold potato, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water, more to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Heavy cream, for garnish
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
2. Stir in the potato, garlic, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes, and 1 cup water. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the lentils and potatoes are soft.

3. Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend until mostly smooth, although I like to leave a bit of texture. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you could blend the soup in an upright blender. If the soup is too thick, add additional water, as needed.

4. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil or heavy cream with chopped fresh parsley.

Recipe Notes

• Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
• The soup will thicken after a day or two in the fridge, so you may need to stir in some water to thin it when you reheat.

If you like this red lentil soup, you may also like my Three Onion Chowder — a savory and herb-rich, finished with buttery parsleyed oyster crackers. It’s perfect when you want something comforting yet a little special.

Bon Appétit!
xx—BB