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!
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.