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!
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!