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!
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