This rich and hearty flavour-packed lentil soup is simple to make with basic ingredients, perfect for batch-cooking and freezing. It’s vegetarian and gets a lovely lift from lemon at the end. I batch make this, and its fabulous on winter mornings. It’s tasty, healthy and a fabulous way to fill up. Find all the cooking details, the recipe ingredients and a few hints to make this tasty dish.
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Lentil Soup Ingredients
These quantities make roughly meals for two people. I assume that a 250 ml portion is for one adult.
Main Ingredients
- 400 g brown or green lentils
- 2 medium to large onions, finely chopped (my onion growing guide is here)
- 1.5 tbsp garlic (about 4–5 cloves), minced. I tend to use preminced garlic paste, which I freeze into ice cubes once I’ve opened.
- 1 carrot, diced. (you’ll be blending this so no need to be fancy). Just wash, clean and top and tail the carrot, no need to peel it, you’ll get more roughage this way. Grow your own carrots here
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes, or use tinned tomatoes and break them up
- 1.5 litres vegetable stock
Spices & Seasoning
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp paprika
- 3 bay leaves
- Salt, to taste
- ¼ lemon per serving (to finish)
Equipment Needed
You’ll need:
- A large soup pot – I make this in a 3 litre pot.
- Chopping board
- Chef’s knife
- Wooden spoon
- Blender or stick blender
- Ladle and bowls
How to Make Hearty Lentil Soup
This is a really easy (and forgiving) recipe to make. Prepare all your vegetables and measure out the spies and seasoning first, so you’re ready to go.
1. Prep & Cook the Vegetables
- Heat a splash of oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the onions and garlic and fry until soft and fragrant. You don’t want to brown then, or burn them, but don’t worry if you do, keep the heat down to medium low. It’s way better to take longer to cook.
- Stir in the carrot and celery, cover with a lid, and cook for about10 minutes until starting to soften.
2. Add Spices
Sprinkle in the cumin, coriander and paprika. Stir to coat the vegetables
3. Add Liquids and Lentils
Pour in the chopped tomatoes, lentils and vegetable stock, now add the bay leaves.
4. Simmer for about 40 minutes
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer covered with a lid for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft and breaking apart. Add more water or additional stock if it looks like its drying out. This is soup remember, not a bolognaise!
5. Blend the Soup
Scoop out 2 tablespoons of soup per serving of lentils and veg and set it to one side. Now get your stick blender and purée the rest of the soup. You can leave it chunky, but I LOVE how hearty and thick it becomes if you blend most of it. You’ll add back the tablespoons of reserved chunky (but soft) veg to each portion when you serve (or freeze) it.
Now taste your soup. And season to taste with salt and pepper. You’re going to add a squeeze or two of lemon when you serve it, which really lifts the taste.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon. If you have fresh lemon great, but you can of course use lemon (or lime) juice
Hearty Lentil Soup Storage
You can keep this soup in the fridge for up to four days. Alternative portion out into freezer suitable containers, (don’t forget to add the reserved chunky veg and lentils to the top of them) and pop into the freezer once cooled. You can freeze for up to 3 months, although I’d be surprised if you can leave it this long once you’ve taste it.
Defrost and reheat gently. Don’t forget your lemon addition when serving!
Enjoy these other recipes from Lets Grow Cook
- Courgette, Mint & Feta Quiche
- Hearty Lentil Soup
- EASY 10 Minute Basil Pesto
- Rhubarb and Ginger Gin
- Blackberry Infused Gin
- Creamy Courgette Soup
- Courgette Bread
- Tkemali Sour Plum Sauce
- Lemon and Balsamic Marinated Figs
- Baba Ganoush Recipe without Tahini
- Fresh Mint Ice Cream – no ice cream maker needed
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