There’s nothing quite as comforting as a pot of soup simmering away on the stove top when it’s cold and wintry outside. The smell alone warms me from the inside out. This week I was craving a simple vegetable forward soup, so I whipped up this really easy Tomato Lentil Soup. I’ve been enjoying the leftovers for days, sometimes with a grilled cheese on the side. :)
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What Does Tomato Lentil Soup Taste Like?
This soup kind of tastes like a traditional vegetable soup, but with a slightly more tomato-y broth, plus a little earthiness from the lentils. It’s super hearty and comforting, which is exactly what I love about a good bowl of soup in the winter!
What Kind of Lentils Should I Use?
Lentils can be confusing, especially since there isn’t a lot of consistency in labeling in the United States. I used a basic brown lentil, which has a drab brown-olive color and cooks with about 20 minutes of simmering. Sometimes these lentils are labeled “green lentils” sometimes just “lentils” so to be sure you have the right kind, check the cooking instructions on the package. It should say to simmer for about 20 minutes, not 45 minutes.
I do not suggest using a red, orange, or yellow lentil for this soup because they break down too easily and you’ll end up with something more along the lines of a lentil porridge than a lentil soup. :) (It would probably still taste good, though!)
How are the Leftovers?
One of the reasons I love soup is because they almost always make great leftovers, and this soup is no exception. The leftovers will stay good in the fridge for about 4-5 days, or you can freeze it for longer storage. I always suggest dividing the soup into single portions just after cooking so it cools down more quickly in the refrigerator, which will give you more longevity with the leftovers. Once cooled you can transfer some to the freezer for later!
Tomato Lentil Soup
Servings 6 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 3 carrots ($0.42)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 russet potato (about 1 lb.) ($0.60)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.10)
- 2 15oz. cans stewed tomatoes ($1.18)
- 1 cup brown lentils ($0.67)
- ½ tsp paprika ($0.10)
- ½ tsp dried basil ($0.10)
- ½ tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- 4 cups vegetable broth ($0.52)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.12)
Instructions
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and slice the carrots (I like smaller pieces for this recipe, so I do a quarter round slice). Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and olive oil to a large soup pot and sauté over medium heat until the oniosn are soft. While the vegetables are cooking, peel and dice the potato into ½-inch cubes.
- Add the tomato paste and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until the tomato paste begins to coat the bottom of the pot.
- Add the cubed potato, stewed tomatoes (with juices), lentils, paprika, basil, oregano, pepper, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Place a lid on top and allow the soup to come up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let the soup simmer for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are super tender and have begun to break down slightly (this helps thicken the soup).
- Add the soy sauce to the soup, then give it a taste and adjust the salt if needed (the total amount will depend on the salt content of your vegetable broth). Serve hot with crusty bread for dipping.
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Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Chef’s Knife
- White Cutting Boards
Nutrition
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How to Make Tomato Lentil Soup – Step by Step Photos
Dice one onion, mince two cloves of garlic, and slice three carrots. I like to do smaller pieces of carrot for this soup, so I cut the slices into quarter rounds. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic to a large soup pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté over medium until the onions are soft. While the carrot and onion are sautéing, peel and dice one russet potato into ½-inch cubes.
Add 2 Tbsp tomato paste and continue to sauté for a few more minutes, or until the tomato paste begins to coat the bottom of the pot.
Add the cubed potato, two 15oz. cans of stewed tomatoes (with juices), 1 cup lentils (not cooked), ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp dried basil, ½ tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp pepper, and 4 cups vegetable broth.
Stir everything to combine. Place a lid on top and bring the soup up to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, or until the lentils are very soft and have begun to break down a bit.
After simmering the soup, stir in 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Taste the soup and adjust the salt if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your broth. I did not add any in addition to the soy sauce).
Serve hot with some crusty bread for dipping! (I garnished with a little parsley for color, but it’s not needed to flavor this soup.)
Delicious as always. So happy to find hearty vegetarian recipes that can be easily gluten free (just sub out the regular soy sauce for GF). Used Beth’s preferred Better Than Bouillon Vegetable and GF soy sauce. No need for added salt at the end.
Made with one can of sliced stewed tomatoes and on can of diced tomatoes.
Cooked for about an hour because my potatoes still had a bite at 40 minutes. But I’m slowly coming to terms with a new xmas pot set.
Added about a 1/3 lb of frozen mustard greens right at the end to add some pop to the color.
This made a fairly thick lentil stew which is not a negative. Could be eaten alone or as a topper to rice, or as a pot pie filling. Yes, I’m already thinking ahead to my next batch.
Newbie cook. Tried to make this in my instant pot on the slow cooker setting since that’s what I have. Gave it ~6 hours but the potatoes were still hard/crunchy. Eventually I gave up and put it in tupperware.
Tastes fine w/ a little salt, but it’s very thick, closer in consistency to spaghetti sauce. Still tasty, cheap and healthy though.
Warm foods especially soup cooked in a pot are definitely great for winter. I’ve tried to partner the soup with bread and it is so delicious. Thank you for this recipe.
I made this recipe for supper today, exactly as directed, and it was great. Even my partner who doesn’t care for beans and vegetables said he’d eat it again. Next time, I’ll use diced tomatoes rather than whole stewed, because we like smaller chunks. Thanks for a delicious, inexpensive recipe.
This was easy to make and delicious. I would normally never try something like this, but I decided to with this recipe and am glad I did. It’s filling, cheap, and healthy.
Made this for lunch today and it was fabulous! And perfect for our stormy weather. Will be on the winter rotation for sure.
So good! My husband even liked it and he’s a big meat eater! He tends to have an “already ate” response when I try to serve something without meat lol
We enjoyed this one. We ended up taking the leftovers and putting it on top of mashed potatoes. Very yummy and filling!
I used smoked paprika and added kielbasa and it was absolutely delicious. Will definitely make again (as written or with the modifications). Simple, healthful, hearty, warming… and super budget friendly! Thank you!
Instead of 40 minutes on the stove I did 20 minutes high pressure in the EPC. I will be making this again and again. So tasty, easy, and healthy!
I made this in the instant pot. Sautéed everything in the pot according to directions and then cooked on high pressure for 10 minutes. Then did a QR. Delicious!
Mmm… great soup! I added some kale and spinach leaves at the end just because I had some. Also lemon juice and grated parmesan cheese on top – but it would have been good without them. (Oh – and my canned tomatoes were chopped, which worked fine.)
Made it last night. Really good. I did use homemade chicken broth I had in the freezer and it seemed to work. Also added ground turkey and doubled the spices. I just can’t help tweaking a recipe.
Here in the UK I was puzzled by your use of the term Dutch Oven. I’ve never understood it to be a large cast-iron casserole pot, but rather something used for baking over an open (usually camping) fire. I was surprised to see what appeared when I clicked the link to Amazon.com! Looking at Amazon.co.uk what we would often call a Le Creuset after the most popular make is also labelled a Dutch Oven. Who knew?! Anyway, as someone has suggested, I will try this with my slow cooker which I frequently use to make delicious beef casseroles, so it should work! Sounds really nice and only contains ingredients my wife will eat!!! Thank you for your recipes – I really enjoy your newsletters.
I made it tonight and the entire family loved it (including my 8, 6, 2yo).
I made everything as written but I’m out of basil so I used Italian herbs as a replacement. Perfect for a chilly winter day.