OMG… This Chunky Lentil and Vegetable Soup is my new all-time favorite soup! I’ve already eaten two bowls since I made it today at lunch and I don’t think I’ll even need to freeze any because it will be gone fast. This super flavorful and hearty soup is a vegetarian take on the old classic, Lentil & Sausage Stew, from way back in 2010. I replaced the sausage with black beans, added some tomatoes for brightness, and nixed the spinach. The black beans help make everything thick and creamy and the blend of herbs and spices just can’t be beat. It’s soooo good. So many colors, flavors, and textures in one bowl, and super cheap, too!
The best part? I already had most of the ingredients on hand, so when I went to pick up the remaining items my total bill was about $3. It pays to shop in your pantry before you shop in the store!
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What Kind of Lentils to Use
I used a quick cooking brown lentil for this recipe. These lentils are also sometimes called green lentils, depending on the brand, but they are not the same as French green lentils, which take much longer to cook. The lentils used in this recipe only need to be simmered for about 20 minutes to become tender and do not require pre-soaking.
I do not suggest using red or yellow lentils for this recipe because they do not hold their shape and will become mushy once boiled, resulting in a soup more similar in texture to split pea soup.
What Else Can I Add?
I love the flexibility of soup. If you want to add a little extra green to your soup, feel free to add some chopped fresh spinach or frozen spinach, and just stir it in until wilted and heated through. I love to top my lentil and vegetable soup with a dollop of sour cream or a pinch of cheese! If you like things spicy, feel free to add a diced jalapeño or a couple dashes of hot sauce.
How to Store the Leftovers
This recipe makes a HUGE batch, but thankfully the leftovers taste great! I like to divide my soup into single serving portions right after cooking to facilitate faster cooling, and to make the leftovers really easy to grab-n-go (and reheat). This soup also freezes great, so once it’s completely chilled in the refrigerator you can transfer it to the freezer for long-term storage (about three months).
Chunky Lentil and Vegetable Soup
Servings 8 1.25 cups eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.50)
- ½ lb. carrots (3-4 carrots) ($0.55)
- 3 ribs celery ($0.80)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.89)
- 1 cup brown lentils ($0.31)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- Freshly ground black pepper ($0.05)
- 1 15oz. can petite diced tomatoes ($0.85)
- 4 cups vegetable broth* ($0.52)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Sauté both in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat until the onions are tender. Meanwhile, slice the celery and peel and slice the carrots. Add the celery and carrots to the pot and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes more.
- Drain the can of black beans and add it to the pot along with the diced tomatoes (with juices), dry lentils, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and some freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill). Finally, add the vegetable broth, and stir to combine.
- Increase the heat to medium high and allow the pot to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, place a lid on top, and let it simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, test the lentils to make sure they are tender. If not, continue to simmer until they are tender.**
- Taste the soup and add salt as needed (I added 1/2 tsp). Serve hot.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
A little dollop of sour cream is SO GOOD on this Chunky Lentil and Vegetable Soup.
How to Make Vegetable and Lentil Soup – Step by Step Photos
Mince two cloves of garlic and dice one onion. Sauté both in a large pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat until the onions have softened.
While the garlic and onion are cooking, clean and slice 1/2 lb. (3-4 medium) carrots and 3 ribs celery. Add them to the pot and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes.
Most of my soups start with 1/2 lb. of carrots and 3-4 ribs of celery, so instead of just letting the other half of each go limp in the fridge, I go ahead and slice them up then freeze them for the next soup.
Once the carrots and celery have cooked a few minutes, add 1 cup dry brown lentils, one 15 oz. can black beans (drained), one 15oz. can diced tomatoes (with juices), 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and some freshly ground black pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a pepper mill). Stir to combine.
And 4 cups of vegetable broth. Stir well. Increase the heat to medium-high and let it come up to a boil. When it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, place a lid on top, and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, test the lentils to make sure they are tender. If you have green or French lentils, they may need to simmer for 45 minutes or so to fully soften. Also taste the soup and add salt if desired (I added 1/2 tsp of salt). Now it’s ready to serve!
Love this! Threw in some extra veggies I had on hand (bell pepper and zucchini). Excellent with cheese on top. Will make again.
Loved it.
I just threw this in a crock pot. Also, only had 1.5 cups broth. Any ideas how to adjust seasoning and liquid? Is it ok in the crock pot?
1.5 cups of broth probably isn’t enough to make it into a soup, the lentils will absorb just about all of that. I’m not sure about cooking it in a slow cooker. I’d really need to test it before offering advice.
very easy to make and the flavors were incredible, thank you
Been coming back to this recipe for years. Its definitely a go to when I’m craving lentils and a hearty meal.
Is there a way you could use canned lentils in this recipe? I have a ton of canned lentils at my house that I don’t know what to do with lol
Yes, you could use canned lentils but then you’ll probably need less broth (maybe about half) because the canned lentils will not absorb any of that liquid like dry lentils will. :) Since you’re reducing the broth you may also need to add more salt to compensate, but it’s always best to taste and add salt at the end if needed!
My picky husband LOVED this and he is NOT a vegetarian fan. Easy to make, inexpensive, and just excellent on a cold winter day. Hubby said it’s a keeper and repeater. Woohoo!
This recipe came together so quickly and is full of flavor! I added a package of sliced baby portobellos. Just the right amount of “meatiness” for us veggies! Filling and delicious. My new go to.
This soup is a winner with me and my kids. Besides being healthy, it freezes well, too, which is a big plus for this busy, working single parent. I like to add a cup of frozen corn and will sometimes add more broth and spice (I like it soupy). I am going to experiment with adding some fresh parsley. Great recipe. Thanks, Beth!
I just made this again and it is so incredibly yummy! Thanks for the great recipes!
I made this tonight and it was so good!! The only modification I made was to add a bay leaf when I cooked it. This is hearty, filling and so full of flavor! I topped it with cilantro and that was good. Thank you! I look forward to trying more of your meatless meals. DDs boyfriend was over for dinner and he asked what kind of meat was in it, I told him “none” and he was surprised! He liked it and went back for seconds! :)
Hi Beth, What containers do you use to store your soup in for the grab and go convenience? Thanks
Hi Pat- Check out these Pyrex containers. XOXO -Monti https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012UNPNNI/ref=as_li_ss_il?ref=idea_lv_dp_ov_d&ascsub&linkCode=li2&tag=budgetbytesrecipe-20&linkId=5708155eba428ee35af5ea0a12bb02f5&language=en_US
We loved it!
This is my absolute favorite recipe. I have been making it for over 8 years now, and it always hits the spot. I make the recipe as-is and always make sure to buy a baguette for dipping. Thank you for this gift, Beth!!
Very tasty! I love lentils anyway I can get them but this simple recipe really elevated the humble lentil. Again your recipes always seem to use ingredients I keep on hand. I try not to deviate from the recipe the first time I make it but used fire roasted tomatoes because that’s what I had on hand. This recipe was cozy and nourishing and will be in my regular rotation. Can’t wait to throw in some spinach per your suggestion the next time. FYI I had some for breakfast this morning! Keep em’ coming Ms. Beth!
This was incredible. I followed the recipe exactly and couldn’t be happier.
So. Good. Perfect for my gluten free husband. I made it exactly as stated, but added some fresh spinach since I had it on hand. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe! It’ll be a regular at our house.
This is one of my favorite recipes! I really enjoy adding a parmesan cheese rind while it simmers – delicious!
My favorite lentil soup recipe ever! You could add sausage or meat, but you won’t miss it.
I use my instant pot, 9 minutes high pressure, natural release for maybe 5 minutes, if you can wait. Delicious every time. The spices are just perfect and it makes a nice an healthy, but filling, lunch!
I make this tasty soup often. Thank you for the recipe. My son shared it with me.
Excellent and so easy. I have a family member who doesn’t like black beans so I replaced with chickpeas and white navy beans. I added extra broth as others suggested because we like it soupy. Also added a bag of chopped spinach at the end for some colour. We ate it for days in a row happily and will make it again this week. A great recipe that can take add ins to suit you.
Love this soup so much. As a vegetarian it’s a regular dinner favorite. Makes delicious leftovers for lunch the next day- so much so my husband’s coworker once offered to pay me to make extra for him! Cooks perfectly in the Instapot for a stress-free quick meal.
Steph..just got an Instant Pot for Christmas. Thinking this would work very well in the IP. How long did you cook and then release?
Thank you..Kathy Sims
omg. I added all my left overs in my fridge and pantry. Zucchini, red lentils, carrots, onion, cannelli beans. Saved me a grocery trip and it was freaking delicious! Thank you so much Beth for saving me during this pandemic.
I have been making this recipe for years! It is probably my FAVORITE meal prep dish, and it tastes amazing days and days later. I have added potatoes at times, serranos at times, squash etc… But it always turns out perfect. Today I decided to try it in my instant pot, I have avoided my oven and stove for months, using an indoor grill that air fry’s, bakes and grills. With my pressure cooker, I have had no reason to turn the oven on. It turned out perfect! I sauteed the onion and garlic, next the carrots and celery, added everything, put an additional 2 cups of broth, I LOVE it soupy sometimes, and pressure cooked on high for 20 minutes. Then natural released for 5 minutes and VOILA! Almost perfect. Lentils were a touch overcooked. Next time, 10 minutes pressure cooking and I bet it will be perfect. Yummy! A week of soup, and we have cold weather coming.
I’ve made this soup at least 20 times over the past 5 years or so, and it’s a winner! Hearty, flavorful, and satisfying–one of my all-time favorite soup recipes.
I just made this for dinner. Oh so good!! Wonderful flavors. This will definitely be a “make it again soup”. This was so easy and quick to make. Pretty much everything on the ingredient list I have on hand most days. I also used the “Better Than Bullion” instead of store bought stock. This is a definite winner.
I’ve made this soup a handful of times since I discovered it in January, and am about to make it again today! It is super easy, affordable, and tasty!! who knew lentils could taste this good?! my husband who has never been a fan of lentils loves this soup. It freezes very well so I tend make extra to have on hand. My favorite accompaniments are avocado slices, basket cheese, and toasted French bread with butter! thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Hi Nadine! Would you please be so kind as to tell me what basket cheese is? It intrigued me as I was reading the comments today.
Thanks, & greetings from Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦, where it is -6°C now. And we got 10cm/4″ of SNOW last night 😪
I love this recipe. I’ve made it a bunch, and I like to add spinach and kielbasa to it. I leave out the cayenne pepper bc my two year old doesn’t like spice, and just add some hot sauce to my own bowl! So good!!
I made this in my instant pot. I did not sautee the onion or garlic. I just dumped all the ingredients in and added 1.5 cups of broth to what was already called for. I used the high setting for 20 min and then slow release the steam for ten minutes followed by a quick release. Turned out perfect! Added the spinach after it was done cooking.
Never knew lentil soup could taste this good! The addition of black beans and tomatoes really set this lentil soup apart from others! Everyone loved it so much that they took my leftovers! This was budget friendly and absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to remake!
I’m excited to be making this for the first time today and haven’t looked through the comments. Has anyone tried the instant pot? Just curious about setting and time. Thanks!
We haven’t tried it in the Instant Pot Hayley, doesn’t look like any commenters have either. Let us know if you gave it a shot!
I’m obsessed with this soup! It’s delicious and super versatile. I like to have it on top of wild rice for a hearty dinner, or with avocado and cilantro (cilantro is key).
Breakfast soup…ohhh yea! Do an egg, avocado and cilantro on top and it’s equally delicious. I adore this recipe and it’s my go to when rent is due and I need to live on soup for a few days :) thank you!!
Love the idea of breakfast soup!
Can you add potatoes?
Sure, potatoes would probably be very nice in this.
I tried this with Russet potatoes and they were good, but a little too grainy in texture. I would recommend a different, more smooth textured potato
Try it with red potatoes! They tend to do best in soups, in my opinion. They hold up a bit better and stay firmer rather than being super mushy.
This is one of my go-to soups nowadays. I love the flavor you created here – and so does my toddler!
Tried it, and love it! I left out the cayenne pepper. This soup will be great for my work lunches this week. Yummy, and healthy! Thank you!
Love this soup so much! Any chance you have the nutritional info for it??
Really good, but any tips on how to reduce the smelly gas that arises the next day?
Hmm, no, unfortunately I don’t think there is a way to avoid that.
This smells and tastes so good. Unfortunately I was out of black beans and tomatoes and the hubby hates celery so I left those out. I did have some medium salsa on hand so I just used that instead of the tomatoes and decided to add some frozen spinach towards the end of cooking. Big hit and it only cost me $3.50 for the entire batch. Will definitely be making again
Loved this soup. My only challenge was by the time the lentils were cooked, it wasn’t a soup anymore. Too little liquid. So I added another 2 cups of broth and 1/2 cup of tomatoes and adjusted the spices. Now it’s perfect!
This is the only soup I can make from scratch successfully. Make it all the time with whatever beans and vegetables I have on hand. The kids love it. Thank you so much!
First time making this it smells sooooo good I didn’t wait for it to cool down I burnt myself… totally worth it very yummy! I poured this on top of rice and holy cow! Delicious will definitely be using this recipe again!
I have been making this soup for years now! It’s something I crave every fall! Thanks for the great recipe! I’ve recommended it so many times!
All of your recipes are great, but even I was surprised by how delicious this soup was! Holy cow!!!
Yummmmm!! I found myself making this twice a week, I love it! Thank you!
Looks great. Will skip the olive oil, broth, and salt and use plain water since I’m whole food plant based but the spices look amazing for this. Thanks!
I use epicure vegetable broth mix with water.. DELICIOUS
almost no salt..
Great soup and very easy to make. The cayenne adds just the right amount of heat. This is now the go-to lentil soup for my vegetarian diet! Looking forward to trying some of your other vegetarian recipes.
I absolutely LOVE this soup, it has become one my staples and i make it every week! However, i also live in a family of carnivores that loves to complain there’s no meat in it, so last time i made it i added half a pound of ground pork (cooked it in a skilled then drained it, and added during the sautéing of the carrots and celery). And i just wanted to share that it was actually quite the hit! It was so good even compared to the normal version of the soup!
Also, half the time i don’t even bother heating up my leftovers! This soup is so good straight out of the fridge!
So glad you’re loving it! You should definitely try my Lentil and Sausage Stew, as well. It’s very similar to this one, but has meat. :)
Cheap, healthy, vegan, gluten free and sooo yummy! :)
This soup is so good! I cooked it in the evening for tomorrow’s lunch, guess I’ll have to make a new batch.
I didn’t add any salt (except for the vegetable broth which probably had some). And I let the lentils soak in water for a few hours first.
I can’t tell you how many times I have burnt my mouth on this recipe. Every time I make it, I say to myself “Wait until it’s cool before you start eating it!” but apparently I don’t have that much willpower.
LOL! I’m right there with you, Dan!
Thank you! Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. Added the sour cream too. Mmmm.
This soup looks delicious in photos, but mine came out like a thick, taco-flavored chili. I would recommend adding way more vegetable broth than 4 cups and omit the taco-like spices (cumin, paprika, cayenne, etc.). Next time I’ll adjust, but this first attempt left a bad taste in my mouth—literally.
Beth! I just made this and I am eating this as I type. Holy moly its amazing. I have followed recipes from online in the past and the just never turned out that great. This was amazing. THANK YOU!
Love your recipes. Can’t wait to try some of them. I am a soup lover.
What a blast! Recently went vegan after being vegetarian for a couple years. Searching through the archives and I found this gem again! I’ve been making this since before we went vegetarian, and it’s always been a hit. Thanks Beth for this wonderful recipe! I love to throw diced cauliflower or cooked brown rice in too sometimes. :)
Lovely! Even my 2 year old ate it!
Great! I made this for my family and even those who don’t like veggies much enjoyed this soup.
Hello, I love this recipe.
For those of you that track you calories I just wanted to mention that I calculated out the total calories of this recipe at 2318 calories. or 463 calories per meal if you split it into 5 servings.
This soup is incredible! I have made it twice and love it. It’s cheap, filling and super healthy. It’s also very flavorful. The first time I made it I followed the directions. The second time I made it I doubled the ingredients and cooked it in the crockpot for 4 hours on high. I just dumped everything in and it turned out wonderful each time. Good stuff! This will definitely be going in my weekly rotation.
Hi Beth. This soup is delicious. The warmth of the spices is perfectly balanced. I am new to your website but so far all of the recipes have been great and my grocery bill has gone way down while the flavours have gone way up. Thank you very much.
I’m so glad to hear that, Ivy!! :)
Absolutely delicious. I usually pair it with the Homemade Freezer Garlic Bread from this site. Freezes well.
I can’t recommend this enough. Prep is easy, ingredients are simple and cheap, and it’s absolutely delicious. There’s also some room for ‘experimenting’ with fresh herbs like basil/oregano/marjoram. This is basically the perfect budgetbytes recipe
Love this recipe! It’s a usual at our house. I like to add some cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro and avocado.
I made this soup tonight as instructed, and it is simple delicious. I love the flavors and texture of it. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Ridiculously good. I added 1/2 of the spices to the inital veggie sauté to deepen flavors and used smoked paprika (what I had). Otherwise, made exactly as directed. I love this blog!
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this recipe and soups inspired by it. Absolutely delicious in any variant.
Has anyone suggested adding the spices in with the onion and sauteeing them a little to get an even richer flavor out of them?
This recipe is great! I love the blend of spices in this soup. I had a sweet potato that was on its last legs and added it to the soup as well. I served it with a dollop of greek yogurt on top and some crusty bread. I imagine this recipe could be a great way to use up many different veggies you might have lying around. Will definitely be making again!
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
Probably, although I’ve never tried it.
How about a toaster?
Ha! :)
Thanks for the tasty and affordable recipe! I bulked this up with 3 medium sweet potatoes and portioned it out for my lunches this week. It’s so good and it was so simple to throw together. Very happy :)
So- sorry if this is a repeat question. Pressure cooker? Can you just pressure cook this whole thing into an amazing yumminess? I’ve never cooked with a pressure cooker- any tips?
I haven’t tried it, but I bet you could! It should cook very quickly since both vegetables and lentils (depending on which type you use) cook fairly quickly even on the stove top.
I made this last night, using half the amount of cayenne (my mother does not like spicy food). So filling and delicious. With three generations living together, everyone adds their own twist at the table. My mom added crackers and sour cream, my son and daughter cheese and my husband red pepper flakes. I served it with rolls and fresh fruit. My meat eaters did not complain and everyone liked it. Budget bites has become my “go to” for new recipes that are healthy, affordable and not too complicated.
This is a staple in our house, and it has been for a while. A friend of mine tried it and has used it in his catering business, too. Even my mother, who hates soup (who hates soup?!?!) really enjoys this recipe!!
Today, when I made a pot of this, my head wasn’t in my cooking, and after it was too late, I realized I had added a teaspoon of chili powder, thinking it was smoked paprika. And then I added a whole teaspoon of smoked paprika, because again I wasn’t looking or thinking (recipe calls for half a teaspoon of that).
I’m writing to you to tell you that if you add a teaspoon of chili powder, this is still really good soup.
So let’s call it an “alternative” version of this soup.
:)Thanks for your consistently good recipes. My husband and I are especially grateful for the numerous ones you post without meat.
Great tasting- super quick mid-week meal. I added fresh spinach and a smoked turkey kielbasa (feeding a teenage boy).
Ive made this a few times now and we love it! I made a few changes, i added ground spicy italian sausage and sliced spicy italian sausage. Both cooked then dumped into the pot as its simmering.
I just made this, and it is awesome. I am not usually a soup person, but LOVE this.
First off, thank you for the excellent website!
Secondly, can I just say “nom, nom, nom”?! I made this almost exactly per the recipe. Used Wyler’s Chicken granules (3 tsp for 4 cups broth) and regular instead of smoked paprika (because that’s what I had). I was worried about the cayenne, so stared with 1/8 tsp, but ended up adding the full 1/4 tsp – glad I did! Just enough kick. Topped it off with a little shredded pepper jack cheese. Can’t wait to have it for lunch tomorrow as well.
I ran this through the calculator on caloriecount.com as 8 servings and got the following:
total calories = 200 (fat calories = 38)
Total fat 4.2g (Sat fat 0.6g)
sodium 321mg, potassium 734mg
Total carbs 31.3g (fiber 11.7g, sugars 4.3g)
Protein 10.7g
Vit A 107% (!), calcium 6%, Vit C 19%, Iron 18%.
Heading back now for my second bowl :)
Forgot to add, I omitted the extra salt. It was plenty salty for my taste. Also forgot to rate – doh!
I don’t know how to cook but I tried this recipe at my neighbor’s house for fun to cook for 3 other people and it turned out really well. They loved it and I liked it too and I took the leftover home for another person and they liked it as well. It has a lot of ingredients but its a really good recipe.
Just made this and cannot praise it enough!! Sooo flavorful with wonderful texture. I just added a little extra cayenne and used green lentils instead of brown. I will definitely be making this quick, cheap, and heavenly soup again. Thank you!
This recipe is so wonderful and amazing, I had to stop myself from over eating because its so tasty I will just down the whole thing! We added a tad more salt and pepper before serving, tottaly making this every week
Excellent recipe that’s deliciously warming. Thanks again Beth! I wanted a bit of meat in mine and subbed the black beans for Albondigas (Mexican Meatballs) formed into bite-size balls that I pan-seared on each side before letting them cook the rest of the way in the soup. Somewhat more effort, but so worth it.
PS. If anyone in Asia has trouble finding the lentils mentioned, Toor Dal (Split pigeon pea) is an excellent substitute that cooks in more or less the same amount of time as the recipe states.
This soup is just amazing! It is the perfect mix of ingredients. I have tried tinkering with the measurements, but each time I think “Nope, the original recipe is perfect!”
Delicious and easy to follow as always! I added shredded rotisserie chicken that I had froze a while ago right into the pot. I also added a can of spicy hot v8 which was AMAZING. My girlfriend loved this soup, thanks Beth :)
Am I crazy, or didn’t this recipe used to specify Mexican Oregano? I imagine it would have a much different, less pleasing taste if you used Italian Oregano. Just curious – why the change?
Nope, it didn’t say that. :) I’ve never bought or used Mexican oregano before (mainly because I don’t like to have a million spices in my cabinet).
I made this for so many years but without the black beans. I think I’ll roll it out again this fall with this addition. I use red lentils and sometimes curry powder that I made myself. Mmmm. Thanks for the reminder.
I made this soup/stew last night and we had a bowl tonight for dinner. It was really good! I like the spicy flavor of
smoked paprika a lot. I had to cook and cook and cook those lentils, though. I don’t know why they took so long to get cooked through and even then, they were still slightly chewy but not bad. I wonder if maybe the lentils were sort of old?
It’s hard to know when one buys dried legumes how old they are. I might try soaking them overnight the next time even though I have read that that is not really necessary.
Next, I am making the Mexican chicken soup. I really like homemade soups and it seems that is always what i want for lunch.
I just spent an hour browsing your website and found dozens of recipes I want to try! Thanks so much!
My husband and I are changing our eating habits pretty drastically because he had a blocked artery and had a stent on New Year’s Eve. Happily, it was detected BEFORE a heart attack. He has lost weight eating a largely vegetarian diet for the last 4 months and so have I. We are never going to eat much meat again and even though we always had eaten vegetables, now we are eating a greater variety and loving it. We have a meatless dinner at least 4 nights a week.
I don’t know if I accidentally added to much cayenne or if I’m just a spice wimp, but it was too spicy for me. I’ll have to use less next time, but it was still really good!
How do you think this would work with the addition of kale/leeks? Just looking add another vegetable since I don’t care for celery. Thanks
I think that would be great! Just chop it up and add it into the soup at the end and let it wilt (or cook a little longer depending on how soft you like your kale).
Can you freeze this? Looks tasty!
Yep, This one freezes very well. :)
This soup looks really yummy, lots of goodness and filling ingredients.
This is SO GOOD! I subbed in canned garbanzo beans for the black beans and used green lentils. I can’t wait to take it to work for lunch and tell everybody how good it is!
This soup is knock-your-socks-off good. I used green lentils and they cooked in about thirty-five minutes, but I think I had the heat up a little high. Don’t skip the sour cream and don’t skimp the spices. Wowee!
Quick question: do you think this would also work with chicken broth? I’ve got some I’d like to use. Thanks!
Yes, absolutely. :)
Sitting at my desk eating this soup for lunch and just had to let everyone know that it is DELICIOUS!!!
I had seen a comment previously asking about using red lentils. I used them when my daughter and I made this a few nights ago and cooked the red lentils for the last 10 minutes and they still had texture and weren’t mushy or too hard :)
Just wondering how many this will serve? Thanks.
It serves about eight. :) (serving information is near the top of the recipe card)
What a great recipe! I’ve been eating this for dinner all week and it’s only gotten more delicious in the fridge. Perfect for a cold winter’s night.
I just made this for dinner tonight… Sooo delicious!!!
Wow! This is so good. I’ve made it about five times so obviously I love it! It’s cheap, filling with wonderful, complex flavors. Even better after a day or two. I keep meaning to freeze it but it never lasts that long! Thank you for all the great recipes!
I don’t normally comment on blogs but I wanted to let you know that I LOVE this soup. I make it all the time. I add green beans and sweet potato toward the end and it’s wonderful. Free will but filling. Thanks for posting it.
I meant “frugal but filling”, darned speech-to-text software.
I just made this – delicious!!! And so easy! I subbed leaks for the onion, added some tumeric, doubled the cumin and added a bunch of kale. I also used red lentils because that’s what I had.
This was so good. I had actually never used lentils before!!! Flavors were amazing and my whole family gobbled this down.
This is easily the BEST soup I have yet to make. Working on my domestic skills and sooooo thankful I found your website!! You are fabulous!! I loved this soup. I actually left out the tomatoes and black beans and added chicken for extra protein – just a preference and it was amazing. Great flavor!
I tried this and LOVE it. Thank you for the recipe. I’m wondering – sometimes we make soup to take to work but typically cook it in a crock pot to keep it warm until lunchtime. Can this recipe be made in the crockpot?
This one would probably do okay in the crock pot. The only thing you’d have to be concerned about is the vegetables and lentils becoming very soft from the long cooking time.
Any suggestions on a cooking time for in the crockpot? I was thinking perhaps around 6 hours on low.
I think that should do the trick. Lentils cook quickly, as do the vegetables, so it probably won’t take a full 8 hours like most recipes.
This is an easy go-to meal. I’ve made it several times and it is wonderful.
I used this leftover soup (minus the liquid), then added leftover taco rice and shredded cheddar and made the most delicious quesadillas.
This is my go-to lentil soup recipe. I often add mushrooms and cabbage, or any other leftover veggies, to bulk it up even mo. Freezes great!
ps) I love the idea of freezing the extra carrots and the celery. I never would’ve thought of that!!
This sounds so good, but I am going to add ham because I have some to use up. Thank you very much for your facebook page; I’ve been looking up -and finding-recipes in the archives. :)
This looks awesome. Would you happen know what the nutrition information is? Calories, fat, carbs?
Try putting it into My Fitness Pal.
I’m always looking for cheap, healthy comfort food. As lentils are one of the main staples of the Greek diet – I thought I’d give this a go. I was in the mood for chili to be honest so I made some changes. TTwice the garlic, twice the onion and 1 large leek too. I added 1 large green pepper along with the celery and carrots. I also added a kilo of quartered baby potatoes and doubled all the spices, plus 1 large dried chili, a bay leaf and two springs of fresh thyme. I only had two fresh tomatoes so I used one can too. I added a can of kidney beans too (but both the kidney beans and black I added 20 minutes before finishing). Oh, and a half glass of red wine. The result was incredible. My Greek husband is a very happy man right now! It was delicious and very filling.
Hey! love This soup it’s everyone’s favorite when I make it. I don’t have any black beans around only chickpeas. Could I substitute or will that ruin it?
THANK YOU!!!
Hmm, that might actually work pretty well! :)
I’m going to try going the opposite direction as I am halving the recipe to try it out. We’ll see how it is!
I love this soup! It’s easy, quick and SO yummy! I don’t care for celery, so I just double the carrots. Also, when serving, I add just a tiny drizzle of sesame oil on top of each serving. Wow! It’s perfect.
Hi Beth! I wanted to make this in a slow cooker… do you think there is anything that would be different? And would you recommend doing step 1 in a pan on the stove then doing the rest in the crock pot?
You know, I’ve never cooked lentils in the slow cooker, so I’m not sure how they’d hold up. You could probably do it all in the slow cooker, but making sure to add extra moisture for the dry lentils. It’s hard to say without having tried it, though.
I’m allergic to tomatoes and would like to know what to compensate it with
I think I would just leave it out, but add a little extra broth. Maybe 1/2 to 1 cup.
Muy bien! I accidentally put in 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper like a dummy, but it still tasted amazing! Love this soup…so easy!
Hey Beth! I love this recipe, I don’t follow it all but as a new cook I’ve been using it as a guide. I add potatoes, chickpeas, red beans, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers instead of celery. I eat with pasta, rice, bread, tortilla wrap or chips. Lasts me about 2 weeks.
You’re the best Beth! I bailed out on the original soup recipe I had planned for tonight, this one sounded much better, so I’m making this instead.
This is fantastic! I added an additional 4 cups of vegetable broth to make it a bit soupier after cooking down. I also added a large amount of kale at the end to just wilt into the soup-yummy. It’s only 4 PP per serving on Weight Watchers-great to have on hand for a quick and healthy meal.
This was surprisingly delicious. We added a chopped zucchini and some mushrooms, and sprinkled Parmesan cheese just before serving.
So my eyes wonked out on me and I read “1 lb” instead of “1 cup of lentils.” Oops.
Don’t worry! All the lentils cooked fine. It tastes great, just a little (a lot) less soupy. And I need new prescriptions.
This soup is easy and delicious. I added some pumpkin with the black beans and a bit of extra water. The pumpkin breaks down and dads some sweetness to the broth. I also added the kernels from a cob of corn about 5 minutes before the end. It added some crunch and texture, which I really liked. Also chucked in a bay leaf. YUM!
Tried this last week because I’m trying to not lose every paycheque I have to the restaurants around me, and not only was it amazing day one, but day 7 leftovers extricated from my freezer had thickened to the point where I could use them for quesadilla fillings.
I’m in heaven, and have a new-found love for lentils.
Recipe was the trifecta: delicious, inexpensive, and easy to make. Any idea what the calorie count on a 10oz serving? I’m curious as I’m currently on a diet. (not that I think this would be high in calories).
I have no idea how many ounces each of my servings is, but I entered the recipe into myfitnesspal and if it’s broken into 5 servings (I honestly usually get more), they’re about 314 calories a piece. Depending on the brand of broth you use, you may get slightly more or less. I used Trader Joe’s low sodium vegetable broth.
How? No seriously. How do you do it? This is so simple and so tasty. I subbed WILD rice instead because trader joe’s doesn’t have dried brown lentils (???). So i was like EH wild rice is similar right? And it totally was. I love this website!
Hi beth tried this and loved it, I had red lentils on hand so used them instead. I also added leek.
I hate celery so was wondering what is a good substitute for that or what other green veg would you recommend?
Well, I don’t think anything would really be a good “substitute” for the celery because its flavor is quite unique, but if you want more green I think spinach would be awesome in this (just toss in some frozen spinach) or maybe even some zucchini. :)
I made this tonight for dinner, and I used canned lentils, because it’s what I had on hand. I also added linguica for heat, and skipped the cayenne. It was delicious! Thank you for another fantastic recipe!
I agree – EXCELLENT recipe. Since making it, I use the spice mixture in a lot of soups I make. (Sometimes substituting garlic powder for the fresh garlic.)
Where did you get canned lentils? I really like lentils, but there are times when I’m pressed for time and canned ones would be better.
Linguiça sounds delicious by the way, but unfortunately not available in my very rural area of the US.
This smells so good! I made a double batch and it made quite a bit. Can I freeze some of it for another time? I am not much of a freezer, so I need some guidance. Thanks! Love your recipes.
Yep, this one should freeze very well. I would suggest freezing in single serving sized containers so it’s really easy to reheat just the amount that you need when you want it (plus it freezes faster). I like to use those little square plastic Ziploc (or Gladware) containers with the blue lid. They can go straight from the freezer to the microwave for reheating.
This is in my Top 5 of your recipes! Awesome flavor! The combination of spices and lentils just elevates an inexpensive and healthy meal to a new level!
“Best ever!”. That’s what my dad said about this soup. I added one leftover small potato, with skin, chopped into small chunks and about 1/4 cup of elbow macaroni–just for fun.
Truly,truly scrumptious!
This recipe is fantastic! I have made it several times and my family keeps requesting it again and again. I added a bag of frozen corn to the mix last time too and it was great. My family calls it “taco soup.” Unfortunately, I have to leave out the cayenne pepper because one of my family members has a pepper allergy, but it is still great even without it. I add a spoonful of salsa and sour cream to mine and it tastes amazing! Thanks for an amazing recipe.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this recipe in the last year, and I feel like a total idiot for not commenting on it before! It’s sooooo packed with flavor and I absolutely love the variety in nutrients! Thank you so much for this recipe :)
Made this a week or two ago.
For some reason the supermarket didn’t have brown lentils, so I used red.
The soup itself was really really good! I loved the flavour :D But I think the red lentils broke down to mush and made the consistency too thick or chunky. Maybe I cooked it too far but I will definitely look out for brown lentils next time.
Tasted great with sour cream and I think the rest of my family liked it because the whole pot was gone!
Nah, wasn’t your fault. Red and yellow lentils always break down to a near mush when cooked. :) It’s just what they do!
Could you use tinned lentils ?
Yes, but you’ll need to reduce the broth to about 1.75 cups and the flavor will be a bit different since the tinned lentils aren’t cooked in the broth and caramelized onion drippings.
I’m a college kid abroad, and for the first time in my life I have to cook my own meals. Found this recipe and just finished making it (this was literally the first recipe I’ve ever made by myself – you’ll be happy to know that thanks to your lovely pictures and instructions my flat didn’t burn to the ground or anything)! I swapped the black beans for kidney beans, and accidentally added more paprika than was called for, but I think it’s delicious! Thank you so much(:
Awesome!! Congratulations on the success of your first recipe. :D
I made this during midterms for my husband and I (we are both in grad school). Best thing EVER! It was easy with my dutch oven. Simple, quick, filling, and healthy.The closest grocery market did not have veggie BtB so I just used regular veggie stock. It still turned out fabulous. My husband is a huge meat eater and did not have a good experience with lentils growing up. So glad I could change his mind! Next time I am going to make it a little spicier!
First time I make this soup. And I have to say that this is the best soup I’ve ever had.
I make this for a week’s worth of lunches at least once a month. It’s just so, so good! This week I used pinto beans because that’s what I had in my freezer, and I actually like them better – they have a smoother, almost creamy texture that really adds to the soup! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe and all your others!
Love your recipes! Can I make this in the slow cooker, if so, what adjustments would be needed? Thanks, in advance.
I bet you could just pop everything into a slow cooker and let it go… although I’ve never cooked lentils in a slow cooker, so I don’t know how long they can cook before they start to break down and get mushy. You can try 4 hours on high or 8 on low, like most recipes, and see what happens! :)
I just saw a crockpot recipe that called for 12 hours on low or 5 hours on high with green lentils.
Made these with chicken broth, and honestly I wasn’t sure if this was going to taste great but it looked healthy… And it’s pretty darn delicious! It’s got a natural sweetness to it which I love a lot.
This recipe is fantastic. Chopped potato and frozen corn can be a tasty addition to this soup. Bone broth instead of water if you’re using Better Than Bouillon like Beth can help add some extra nutrition as well (if not vegetarian). Halved to 2 instead of 4 tsp of Better Than Bouillon with 4 cups of bone broth and worked out well.
My family loves this recipe and its really healthy as well.I skip the oil to keep it super low fat. Its super easy with tons of flavor. Your site has become a favorite since my daughter introduced me to it. Sometimes I get in a rut of fixing the same old things, and you have some interesting up to date recipes with some new and different flavors. I love smoked paprika in this dish
Beth How long can I keep the leftover Lentil Soup? Do I just keep it in the fridge or should I freeze some or all of it? Thanks.
Mark
I usually freeze what I don’t think I can eat within five days. I like to freeze it in single serving portions (small, reusable Ziploc containers) so I can reheat just one at a time.
Awesome recipe! I love veggie soup, and this is one of the best versions I’ve tried. I had to use chicken broth because my tiny grocery store did not have vegetable broth, and I used red lentils because I had them on hand. It turned out great and I had plenty of leftovers, which I enjoyed for lunch today. Cheers!
Love this soup! It’s the best – my daughter (15 year old) would eat it every day). I love your blog. Thank you.
This soup tastes like heaven. I’m a bit of a soup nut, I eat it almost everyday for lunch during the colder months. This recipe blew my mind! It’s so damn tasty. The seasoning is perfect. It made enough for me to have it for lunch all week and it’s cheap to boot. Great recipe!
Thinking of doing this soup with chicken stock instead, since it takes me forever to finish one of those Better than Bouillion veggie stock bases. Do you think it will still taste good?
Would you be able to use fresh tomatoes instead of canned? If so how much do I use? Thanks
Yes, in this recipe you could probably swap them for the canned tomatoes without much trouble. I’d use two cups of diced tomatoes. You may need to adjust the salt to make up for the fact that canned tomatoes usually have some salt in them.
These recipes just made my day a lot easier. Thank you for your creativity.
I was very excited to find this recipe. Truly delicious. My husband loved it!
Thanks
A great recipe. I just made this. I accidentally added a whole teaspoon of cayenne pepper, so it has the added benefit of clearing my sinuses!
Cheers for great recipe.
Hey Beth, do you think I could use Great Northern beans instead for the soup and some chopped cabbage and some cut green fresh beans just because I like the taste of the cabbage?
Hmm, it’s worth a try but that’s a lot of substitutions so I think the overall flavor will be quite different. I’m not sure how it would turn out without testing it. :) If you’re using canned Great Northern beans, you’ll not need as much liquid. If you’re using dry beans, you’ll need to cook longer and maybe add more liquid.
This is simmering on the stove as we speak! I stumbled on this recipe yesterday and had to make it. It’s delicious and quite affordable, thank you!
Thanks for including all the pictures. You’re helping me save $!
I used Fage Greek Yogurt (plain) instead of sour cream. Very tasty!
Hi – just wanted to say “Superb blog” you got!
I’m not a natural in the kitchen and recipes, to me, often read “buy these seven things, dice them and it’s ready!”, thereby skipping almot every step and assuming you `just know´.
So the many pictures and explanations helps me a lot.
Thank you.
PS. We do have vegetable broth in Europe, in Scandinavia at least it’s very common
Broth = stock/bouillon
Hey, could you help me explain what vegetable broth is becouse I’m from Europe and we don’t have it that way here. Thank you .
It’s a flavorful liquid made by simmering vegetables. Wikipedia describes it better, though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broth
Anyone know where I could pick up these ingredients cheaply in Canada?
I’ve made this twice already and it’s my favorite soup in the world…. So simple! I just used a lot less of the spices cause it was a bit too much the first time! Thanks so much!!!
Made this yesterday and it was delish! I used red kidney beans instead of black beans and added some red cabbage I had lying around the fridge and have food for several days. I plan on stretching it even further by serving it over rice as money are tight this month
LOVED this soup and ate it for lunch this past week after making it last Sunday! I was really surprised by how flavorful the broth was! Definitely going to make it again. may beef it up with more vegetables (pun intended) by adding some kale or zucchini like someone mentioned above. Thank you!
Hey, I much prefer a soup without too many lumps in, would it be okay to blend the soup after boiling or will that effect anything? Sorry, I’m new to making any sort of food especially soup.
Thank you!
Hmmm… I’m sure you could. It would be kind of like a smooth black bean soup, except with lentils. :)
This doesn’t look like anything special when you just read the recipe, but every time I eat it I do a little happy dance! This is the perfect thing to throw together on Sunday and bring to work all week. Thank you!
Hahah, that’s exactly how I feel about it! Sounds rather bland and boring, but it’s seriously one of my favorite recipes ever.
Hi Beth,
I’ve been following your blog for years now and I have to say I’ve really come to love it and look forward to your posts every week. I really trust you as a cook! :D I made this last night for my mom and I and while it was simmering I was a little apprehensive, I admit, but I was like ‘trust it!’ and forged on and it was the most amazing surprise. So flavorful and affordable, I can’t wait to eat the leftovers today with some grilled cheese sandwiches on the side. Thank you, as always, for another amazing recipe!
Just wondering if anyone opted to not drain the black beans ? Usually I don’t drain my black beans when making soups. Appreciate any advice! Can’t wait to try this one out!
Hey Jes,
Thank you for your comment! It took me down a long, dark hole of scientific papers addressing this most important inquiry.
Ultimately, I have found that beans cause flatulence because they contain oligosaccharides that ferment when you digest them. Soaking beans in water and then changing that water will eliminate some of the oligosaccharides, but cooking is what really reduces them the most (and the more water you use when you cook them, the more the oligosaccharides will leach out). Furthermore, the nutrition content of the beans is not changed by soaking.
The only thing I don’t know is how it will affect the recipe–but I’m guessing not much. Hope it turned out well!
Also, I’m stuffing this soup (with drained beans) into my mouth as we speak. Seriously delicious, and just the kind of easy and nutritious meal that a budding young scientist needs while writing her dissertation!
I made this the other night and it was fantastic. I squeezed a bunch of lemon in mine, and I thought it really added a nice freshness to it.
Just made this for the first time, Sooooo Good!!! Followed the recipe as is for the most part, just used no salt added tomatoes and a veggie broth that had a lower sodium content and left out the salt completely. This soup has more than enough flavor, imo, with just the seasoning it calls for. This is definitely going to be a go to recipe for me, Thanks Beth!
If I prepare this soup in the crock pot, would you recommend putting the lentils in from the start or later on to avoid them turning to mush? Thank you!
Yes, I think I’d add them about half an hour from the end.
I just found out I’m anemic, and since I’m currently in the first throes of passionate love with your site, one of the things I googled was “budget bytes lentil soup recipe.”
I just made the soup and ate two bowls of it, with a couple of modifications. It is so delicious. My children and I love it and my oldest got seconds.
Here are the mods:
1) No cayenne and no paprika (since they aren’t in my spice cabinet atm); added some crushed red pepper to make up for the cayenne and paprika.
2) No black beans; added 1 lb. of chopped denver steak (purchased on markdown at my grocery store a couple days ago with this recipe in mind.)
3) No vegetable broth (none on hand); substituted plain water.
4) No celery. Substituted package of mushrooms, finely sliced.
5) Doubled: tomatoes, lentils, and “broth” (aka, water).
6) Added: I packed cup of finely chopped (in blender) kale. Wish I had added more now, so I’ll be tossing in another cup before the remaining soup cools.
Delicious recipe that I would recommend for its taste and cost alone. I’ll keep making it for the health benefits.
I made this and saved even more money$! I buy big bags of beans dried and cook up the whole thing…then I measure out can sized portions and freeze them. comes out to about 12 cents per “can”. and sometimes you can buy celery for 99 cents for the entire bunch. I buy garlic already mulched in a jar for the dollar store for a dollar, 1 teaspoon is enough for two cloves..less than 5 cents, you can even get the bouillon cubes at the dollar store!
thanks for this recipe it is fantastic!
Thanks for the great tip! I think I’m going to start doing this too.
Our second recipe from your site, and it was SO GOOD! We left the tomatoes out (kiddo can’t tolerate them), and it was still delicious. We’ll definitely make this one again. Love the lentil, black bean combo. Perfect. Thank you!
I made this today but dumped everything in the crock pot because I had time this morning to get everything ready and didn’t want to cook later. The only difference was I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth because I forgot to get vege broth. This was delicious. Thanks for a great recipe – I’ll definitely make this again.
How long did you cook it in the crock pot? I’m thinking of doing the same thing.
Just made this tonight for my family and they absolutely loved it! So delicious! Thanks for sharing! :)
I love the black beans along with the lentils, and the red pepper gives it a nice warmth I hadn’t thought to try.
This is absolutely incredible and simple to make. I have never cooked with lentils before so this recipe was a great introduction. One thing that I thought would be a good addition would be zucchini. Maybe in place of the celery. Would I need to add more broth if I added a zucchini in? Either way, this will be something a cook pretty often. It yields A LOT of soup so you’ll have food for days. Thanks for the recipe, Beth
Nope, you shouldn’t need any extra broth if adding zucchini. Zucchini has quite a bit of moisture on its own. :)
This looks wonderful on it’s own, but I think some smoked sausage would really add to it too.
I do have a soup very similar to this, but with sausage. It’s to die for! Check it out: Lentil & Sausage Stew.
Hi Beth! Thanks for the great recipe. I’m about to make it for the second time (turned out great the first time–what a wonderful winter soup!) but all I’ve got on hand is canned lentils. Any advice on how to sub those? I was thinking I’d about double the amount of lentils used, and throw them in a bit closer to the end of the cooking?
Yes, I’d definitely add them later so that they don’t turn to mush from over cooking. :) Also, you may need less liquid, since they’re already cooked.
Thanks! I’ll give it a go tonight :)
BTW just wanted to let you know that I halved the broth, to 2 cups. I ended up throwing 2 (400 g) cans of lentils into the soup with 15 minutes to go and it turned out a bit more like a stew–which I’m very happy with–but I think it would also have been fine (and more soup-y) with just 1 can. Delicious either way! Making your focaccia rolls tonight to go with the leftovers.
This was delicious, and it really had some kick! And now that I’m counting calories, this fit into my health plan quite nicely. Thanks so much for the tasty recipe! We’ll definitely be making it again.
This was SO easy and turned out delicious! Easily my new favorite go-to soup.
This was an awesome eat! It turned out so much better than I expected! So yummy and healthy to boot! Thanks so much!
Just made it. Great! I kinda winged the spices because they are spices. I do think next time I’ll add more ground pepper or sriracha sauce for a kick, but its pretty amazing by itself and it was so painless to make. Thank you!
Making this for what must be the tenth time! Super easy, fast, healthy, cheap and delicious! I make it exactly as is, I just add extra celery and onion. Have tried it with black, brown and green lentils…all good. Just use what you have on hand or can find at the local grocer. And I also double the recipe as it just gets better the next few days. Thank you Beth!
Thank you for this recipe. I made up a batch last night for my family (just my husband, our teenage twins and myself). This morning my husband warned me, he was stealing the leftovers for his lunch. As he was someone who never looked forward to vegetarian dishes or vegetables in general, this is a huge compliment.
I made this for supper tonight and it was delicious! Really flavourful, pretty, aromatic, all around wonderful! I had a bit of a sore throat the last day or two, and this was so soothing on the throat.
Thanks for another great recipe! (I made your Italian Wonderpot recipe last night, which was also superb!)
Loved this healthy soup recipe! It is vegetarian and vegan friendly. My fiance and I just ate the entire thing in less than 30 minutes. I’ll definitely make this again and share it with my clients! I used 3 cloves of garlic, and dried beans instead of canned. It still tasted great. Thanks!
I made this today but let it dry up towards end so it wasn’t watery. Turned out great. I used kidney beans instead of black beans.
Hi Beth do you think red kidney beans would work well in place of the black beans?
Also sorry 4 the unrelated question but does coconut milk freeze well?
By the way this blog has given me lots of hope and excitement. I’m just not someone who is a natural at cooking and everything here is presented in such a simple no nonsense fashion. So thanks a lot!
Glad to see (in the following comment) that the kidney beans worked well! :) I’ve never tried to freeze coconut milk, though, so I’m not sure about that.
This is so yummy, so healthy, and so inexpensive. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Beth, love your recipes! Soo many of your recipes have made it into my weeky rotation. Made this tonight and the only addition I made was a few bay leaves and some chopped kale. It was yummy. Thank you for sharing. :)
hey Beth :)
I love your blog, and was very happy to find so many vegetarian recipes!
a question- if I use potatoes and zucchini instead of carrots (or in addition), should I add the lentils and beans a bit later so they wont over cook and become a mush? how long should i wait?
thank you!
I think if you cut the potatoes into about 1 inch cubes, they should easily cook in the amount of time that the lentils take to cook, so no extra time will be needed. :) And zucchini cooks super fast, so that won’t be a problem either. The lentils do break down a bit, but that helps thicken the soup a little.
Hi,
I made this soup for the first time and it came out really salty. I’m wondering if I accidentally used too much Better Than Bouillon. Do you have any tips for using it (specifically ratios when using it instead of traditional broth)? The label on the jar wasn’t much help. Thanks!
It sounds like you might have used too much. I use it exactly as the label suggests, though, one teaspoon + one cup of water = one cup broth. Perhaps you used the wrong measuring spoon? (we’ve all done it at one point or another!)
We looooove this recipe. I cooked per the instructions and it was gone in two days. I made a triple batch this week, my husband says it’s the best thing I make! So thank you! I have been eating it with a piece of baked yam and it’s delicious, something about the sweet and spicy flavors just tastes great.
I’m so glad I’ve found your website. I think you might have broken my “soup curse” of always hating what I make if it’s soup.
I left out the paprika and cayenne, and the baby loved it too.
This is such a nice soup to enjoy on a winter day. I served this with savory cheddar & green onion scones. Really nice. Thanks! =)
Holy cow, this was tasty. My husband and I don’t mind spicy, so instead of regular petite diced tomatoes I used a can of diced tomatoes with jalapenos. I also used your chili seasoning we still had on hand from a few months ago, and substituted peas for the celery. I used green lentils, and they did fine in the slow cooker overnight (8-hour setting). It smelled so good in the morning that my husband and I woke up ready to eat it for breakfast!
P.S. I usually wouldn’t do this, but I bought Frito’s Scoops to serve on the side with this soup, and they were the perfect complement.
Anyone know the nutritional facts on this recipe?
Added it all up in MyFitnessPal and for 8 servings, it’s around 106 calories each serving.
I made this for dinner, my toddler kept telling me how “yummy” it was. I think this is going on our regular dinners list.
This soup is just fantastic ! I have never liked lentils to the point if anything had it I would steer clear. I convinced myself I needed to try them again..and I am so happy I did. This soup is so easy , hearty and has that really rustic flavor I love. I added a few bay leaves to simmer as well which released great extra flavor.
I used the Organic Better than Bouillon Vegetable base also and found it works the best. Great recipe again !!
I just started following you, and love everything I have read so far. This was the first recipe of yours I made, and it is stellar! I was pinched for time yesterday (and had to leave the house), so I threw everything in the crockpot and reduced the liquid a bit accordingly. Not ideal to forgo sauteeing the vegetables, but honestly, it tastes delicious and was super easy to make, and fit within my time constraints. A real winner, especially because I had all the ingredients on hand already.
I’m eating it at work for lunch, but for tonight’s dinner, I will bake a loaf of bread to go with it, and I think that will make it even more delicious (I threw together Artisan Bread in 5 “broa” dough this morning).
Thanks a bunch!
This soup is perfect. Full of flavor, healthy, and easy to make. Thank you so much.
Just made this today to eat for lunch all week. It was probably the easiest and most flavorful soup recipe I’ve made. Followed it to a “T.” Though my hubby isn’t usually up for vegetarian recipes, this is definitely one I could get him to eat.
Oh my goodness, this was sooo goood! Made it this evening and I am loving it! We’re trying to actually cook our meals instead of relying on the frozen ones or the pre-made salads (so expensive and so not good for you) and this was a hit! Thank you so much!
I think this will be one of my main recipes for the cold months ahead. As a vegetarian I loved it – a really tasty meal with all the good stuff in it and relatively easy to make. Next time have to remind myself to be a little more patient and wait for it to cool down enough, otherwise will end up with a burnt tongue. Tasted good nevertheless :)
Another hit! And it’s vegan! You should add that to the title.
Well, I tagged it as vegan, but I don’t want to deter anyone who isn’t familiar with just how delish vegan can be! :D
Hi Beth. This is outstanding recipe and I’ve been eager to try it since you post it. One thing though, how do you freeze and reheat the leftovers from the soup? Thanks
I portion it into single serving plastic containers (like Ziploc or Gladware) and then freeze it. Make sure it’s cooled down in the refrigerator before transferring it to the freezer, though. When I’m ready to eat it, I just open the lid on the container and microwave it until it’s hot (you’ll want to stir a few times while it’s heating). Or, you can cool the soup then freeze it in ziploc freezer bags. When you’re ready to reheat you can peel away the bag and warm it in a pot on the stove.
I just made this soup and it’s very lovely. I like the slightly sweet taste the tomatoes give it! I followed the recipe exactly except I added a bit of shredded kale, both to use up the kale and to add some greens, and it was a delicious addition. The only note I would have is the soup was a little too chunky – not enough broth to go around, especially once I pulled out the leftovers the next day. I would add maybe a cup or two more broth next time.
I made it this morning and had a bowl before leaving for my afternoon shift. It was delicious! Additionally, I just came home from work to learn my fiance had FOUR bowls today…woah. It is such a simple dish and super cheap to make.
Just had to compliment you on another delicious recipe! I made your soup a few nights ago and it was so so good, even better the past two days for lunch! Thank you so much for sharing your talent!
xx Carly
Hey! I’ve been following your blog for a while and I just LOVE your recipes! I’ve been making so many of them lately and this one is definitely going to the top of my list :)
Quick question: when you freeze your carrots, do you parboil them first or just throw them straight into the freezer? Thank you!
I just throw them straight into the freezer. :) (well, after peeling and chopping, of course)
Great soup. Do you do nutrition info for your recipes?
No, I’m sorry, I don’t.
I did change the recipe by adding 1/2 lb sausage. This was a very healthy and filling soup. Perfect for these cold days we have been having.
Thanks for another winning meal.
I have fallen in LOVE with this site… and every recipe i’ve tried so far. Keep up the great delicious work!
Yum! Made this soup the other day. Had a leftover ham bone in the fridge from Christmas and put it right into the soup to simmer. It gave it a really lovely smoky flavor. For my fellow meat-eaters out there, I’m sure this dish would also be great with a bit of bacon crumbled on top. ;)
I thought this soup could be a good big baby girl new “square” meal to try. (She’s 10 months old).
So I skipped the salt (us parents can always just add salt later) I used 3 small fresh tomatoes instead of canned and used water instead of store bought broth. Oh, and your homemade taco seasoning. I just had it for lunch and it was pretty good. I’m very excited to see her reaction tonight. I’m sure she’ll love it.
forgot to rate it! 5/5
I made this soup this weekend and it’s wonderful. I added left over rotisserie chicken and made it a whole meal. I decided to freeze a couple of servings so that I’d have something yummy and warm for those evenings when I get back home too late. Great recipe!
You’ve done it again Beth, this soup is amazing! I worked an odd shift today so I threw everything into my crock pot (cooked on high for 6 hours) and hoped for the best. It turned out amazing. My husband loved it, and if I’m being truthful- I’m currently on my second bowl. Keep at it, we need you!!!
Just made this and I am in love. It is flavorful and filling. This was my first time cooking lentils and I can’t believe what I have been missing all these years. Another hit! Thank you Beth!
This is one of the best soups that I have ever made and eaten. We made the soup according to directions and the family ate the entire pot!
Whatever you are doing with these recipes, keep on doing it. All recipes on this site have been delicious. Happy cook/mom.
Looks delish! I’m not a huge fan if beans though, is there anything I could easily substitute the beans for? Maybe more lentils or Italian sausage?
Yep, you can do more lentils or use Italian sausage instead. If you go the Italian sausage route, it’s almost exactly like the Lentil & Sausage stew, which is amazing!
I’m on a cleanse right now and was SO HAPPY to see this recipe to liven up my meals. I added 1/2 cup frozen corn, used 3 fresh tomatoes instead of canned, and water instead of broth. Served on top of steaming brown rice. Incredibly yummy!!
oh dear. soup as a sauce for rice is something I wish I’d heard about earlier. not just tasty, but the rice complements the beans, giving you a filling high protein meal.
I have to make soup for 20 on Monday night for Tuesday at lunch. Do you think this would triple ok?
Yes, absolutely. I’d quadruple it just to be safe (leftovers can be frozen).
Thanks! I have one pot on the stove as a test drive. It smells fantastic!
I made this soup last night and ate leftovers for lunch today. I cannot BELIEVE how good it is. The only thing I changed was I dumped in a little shredded Parmesan cheese (and omitted extra salt because of that). Super hearty and great for eating while it’s so cold out.
Great soup recipe for a cold day! We doubled the veggies, added split peas in addition to the lentils, and added the garbanzo beans in addition to the black beans. So yummy…thank you!
This soup was delicious! I made it on a whim this afternoon since it was cold, I saw your email note pop through with the recipe and it fit my desire for comfort food and I had everything I needed in my kitchen. Amazing! :)
Amazing soup ! Just in time for the blizzard we are having right now , hubby enjoyed it after shoveling lots of snow!!!!
Hooray for soup! It’s definitely one of the highlights of winter. :) I love how simple & yet clearly warming & delicious this is, and the frozen pre-chopped veg are a great idea!
any idea why pinterest is having trouble with your site?
this looks wonderful, by the way.
Hmm, not sure. I have problems every now and then but it always seems to clear up on its own. :/
I had never thought about freezing the rest of the carrots and celery when making a soup… I will do that from now on! How long do they last in the freezer?
I try to use them up within about 3 months. This batch was just over 3 months and they were starting to get a bit dried out, but still tasted fine!
Do you blanche them first or freeze them raw? I’m sick of throwing out rotten veg. This is a brilliant idea!
I just freeze them raw. :)
So my bag of lentils (green) tells me to first boil them– I guess that’s part of this recipe, right?
Right, the boiling happens in the broth when it simmers for 30 minutes. You just need to make sure that you don’t turn the heat down so low that it stops bubbling/simmering. Also, green lentils are the type that generally take a bit longer (45 minutes or so), so you’ll just need to let it simmer a little longer. :)
This sounds and looks awesome and I will be making ASAP!! What a great way to eat a yummy soup with lots of beautiful vegetables and beans! I was wondering about doing it in a slow cooker too, if so this would be the perfect soup. Any thoughts?
Yes, this should be very easy to convert to a slow cooker. Just combine everything in the slow cooker and let it cook on high for about 4 hours. You definitely want the liquid simmering so that the lentils soften, so I think high is your best bet.
This sounds delicious! Do you think it could be done in a slow cooker?
I was thinking the same thing!
this could absolutely be done in a slow cooker. you can google “slow cooker vegetable and lentil soup” if you’re unsure of how long to cook it for, but I’d say follow the general rule of cooking on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8.
looks like a great soup, Beth! hubs and I enjoyed your dragon noodles last week.
Yes, this should be very easy to convert to a slow cooker. Just combine everything in the slow cooker and let it cook on high for about 4 hours. You definitely want the liquid simmering so that the lentils soften, so I think high is your best bet.
First off, I discovered your site about a month ago, and I have fallen IN LOVE with it!! Your style of cooking is exactly like mine, and all of the recipes have been FANTASTIC!! Your ideas are great, and I can’t wait till the book comes out.
Second, I literally just took an inventory of my pantry, then went to your site….and THIS popped up. And I have EVERYTHING I need for this soup already!! I know what I will be making this weekend! Your recipes are a lifesaver. :)