This versatile, savory vegan lentil soup is an easy vegan recipe that you can make any day of the year. If you’re after the world’s best gluten-free, freezer-friendly recipe, this vegetarian easy lentil soup is begging to be part of your weekly meal planning! Make it on the weekend and enjoy it for lunches and dinners all week long! Made with brown lentils and everyday ingredients, this is an affordable meal!
Shawn described this veg soup as a surprising instance of something healthy actually tasting really delicious too. So, that just about sums up my work here today. Marly out!
Just kidding. You know me. I always have more to say!
How to Make Vegan Lentil Soup
This may seem like a long list of ingredients, but it’s mostly seasonings. I promise, this simple vegetable soup comes together fast and easy. See for yourself:
- olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- carrots
- potatoes (I used red potatoes)
- water
- vegetable broth
- stewed tomatoes (14.5 ounce can)
- tomato paste
- tamari (or soy sauce)
- curry powder
- ground turmeric
- lentils
- cooked brown rice (cook brown rice yourself or buy pre-cooked packaged brown rice)
- frozen spinach (10 ounce package)
- salt and pepper to taste
Just as an FYI – I always keep a few 10-ounce packages of frozen spinach in my freezer. That’s because freezing veggies doesn’t have much of an impact on nutritional value. In fact, some studies have shown that some fresh fruits and veggies can lose some nutrients when stored and transported.
You can also add some chopped kale or even chopped cabbage to add even more health benefits to this healthy homemade soup recipe. I could also see adding a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin to the spices to give it more of a chili flavor.
How to Cook Lentils in Soup
Lentils, a legume, are one of the world’s best ingredients for a vegetarian or a vegan diet because they’re cheap and easy to make. They don’t even need soaking!
This tasty lentil soup recipe uses brown lentils. You can find them in most grocery stores. You can substitute green lentils, black lentils, or red lentils, but be aware the cooking time is different for these.
The trick to cooking lentils is to bring the liquid they’re in to a boil, then reduce the heat until the water is at a low simmer. The water should be moving, but not too much. This post on cooking lentils from The Kitchn is really good.
If you simmer too high, you’ll lose the liquid too quickly and some of the lentils might be mushy. However, if you simmer too low, the lentils will still be underdone. Emma suggest, “You want to see just a few bubbles in the water and some gentle movement in the lentils.”
If you’re wondering how long to cook lentil soup, plan on it simmering for about 35 minutes or more.
Meal Planning with this recipe
This spicy curry lentil stew is great meal planning because you can make a big batch on the weekend and enjoy it for lunch and/or dinner the rest of the week.
In fact, the flavors in this best ever soup intensify over time, making it the ultimate in meal prepping recipes.
You should include simple, yummy Vegan Lentil Recipes in your meal planning because they’re so affordable. For example, check out my Vegan Lentil Burgers. They are amazing!
How Many Calories in Vegan Lentil Soup?
This is another healthy soup recipe. You can expect around 380 calories per serving along with these other nutritional specs:
Calories: 380 Protein: 21 Carbs: 65 Fiber: 25
Mediterranean Lentil Soup
Are you following a Mediterranean diet? It includes meals inspired by peoples living in Greece, Southern Italy, and Spain. A lot of science supports this mostly plant-based diet for longevity and health.
You could call this meatless Mediterranean Lentil Soup because it fits perfectly in that meal plan. In addition to providing fiber and other nutrients, lentils provide a lot of plant-based protein!
Can this soup be Frozen?
You can freeze spiced lentil soup for up to 2 months. Simply allow the soup to cool and then transfer to freezer-safe containers, label, and freeze.
To serve, remove from the freezer and place in the microwave and cook in defrost mode until the soup is thawed. Either continue heating in the container or transfer to individual servings and cook until heated through.
To serve, simply pour the vegan lentil soup into a bowl and cook in the microwave until heated through. I like adding some vegan sour cream as a topping and a generous drizzle (or pour) of sriracha for added heat. It’s a delicious dinner dish!
I can imagine having a bowl of this vegan lentil soup with a slice of Savory Zucchini Bread on the side.
If you love hearty vegan soup recipes, be sure and check out my Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup, Vegan Cheeseburger Soup, Vegan Beef Soup, Smoky Vegan Pinto Soup, and my Vegan Butternut Squash Soup. Whatever soup you’re eating, be sure to serve it with some delicious, buttery Vegan Cornbread!
Do you love this recipe for gluten free vegan lentil soup? Me too! While you’re making it, be sure and snap a photo and share it with me using #namelymarly on Instagram. I love seeing your photos!
Vegan Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 2 cups chopped potatoes (with peel)
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- 14.5 ounces canned stewed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 cups dried brown lentils
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 10 ounce frozen spinach , thawed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a pot, add oil and sauté onion over medium heat until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook for about a minute.
- Add chopped carrots and potatoes and cook until vegetables begin to become tender.
- Add water, broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, tamari (or soy sauce), curry, and turmeric. Stir together. Then add dried lentils. Bring to a boil and cover and reduce heat to low so that it comes to a gentle simmer. Cook until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.
- Once lentils are tender, stir in cooked brown rice, and spinach. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until spinach is heated through then remove from heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Either transfer to serving dishes or for meal prepping, transfer to sealable containers. This will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To serve, place individual servings in a bowl and cook in a microwave until heated through. Garnish with chopped green onions, tomatoes, and/or coconut yogurt.
Enjoy!
This soup looks and sounds delish! I live at the coast so even in the summer the evenings can be pretty cool. Soup is on my menu year round! Great photo
This seems like a GREAT soup! I always have a soup for breakfast and this looks so delish to try on, I haven’t tried one yet I always have avocado soup, melon soup, tomato soup, so this is really a different. I’m excited to try this, thanks for the link!
I was just organizing my pantry today, and I thought, “I need to use these lentils.” What perfect timing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I’m eager to check it out. I hope you are having a wonderful Saturday, Marly. Much love!
This sounds fantastic Marly. 🙂
I love lentil soup – bookmarking this try!