Lentil Soup (Printable)
Warming lentils with tomatoes, cumin, lemon and parsley - protein-packed, vegan and gluten-free in about an hour.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 carrots, diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
→ Legumes
07 - 1 1/2 cups dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
→ Liquids
08 - 6 cups vegetable broth
09 - 1 bay leaf
→ Seasonings
10 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
11 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
13 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
14 - Salt, to taste
15 - Juice of 1 lemon
16 - Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
# Step-by-step:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are softened and onions become translucent.
02 - Stir in garlic, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and ground coriander. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
03 - Add rinsed lentils, drained diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt. Stir well and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
04 - Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are fully tender.
05 - Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in fresh lemon juice and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
06 - For a creamier consistency, partially blend the soup using an immersion blender, leaving some lentils whole for texture.
07 - Ladle hot soup into bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It costs almost nothing to make yet tastes like something from a restaurant that cares deeply about simplicity.
- Everything cooks in one pot, which means cleanup is done before the soup even cools.
02 -
- Do not skip rinsing the lentils because tiny stones sometimes hide in the bag and no one wants that kind of surprise in their soup.
- Adding the lemon juice at the end instead of during cooking preserves its bright flavor and keeps the lentils from turning mushy.
03 -
- Taste the soup before adding the lemon juice, then taste again after, and you will immediately understand why that single step matters so much.
- Use a heavy bottomed pot if you have one because it distributes heat evenly and prevents the lentils from scorching on the bottom during the long simmer.