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!
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
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!
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.