It’s soooo cold here! (read: below 75 degrees) So, I’ve been really into soups lately, if you can’t tell. Earlier this week I got an email from Lindsay with a red lentil soup recipe that she had found on Bodyrock.tv (link may be NSFW) and it looked scrumptious! Seeing that I had a big bag of red lentils in my cupboard, I had to make some. Well, I have to say that this Vegan Red Lentil Stew turned out phenomenal.
Serve this Vegan Red Lentil Stew with some hearty bread (or pita like in the pictures) to make sure that you have complete proteins. Legumes + grains = all of the amino acids that you need.
Aso, make sure you get red lentils and not brown or green for this recipe. Red lentils break down very quickly when cooked which is what makes this Vegan Red Lentil Stew so wonderfully thick and hearty! Even though I probably over paid for these red lentils, can you believe how inexpensive this is? I mean, WOW.
Vegan Red Lentil Stew
Vegan Red Lentil Stew
Servings 6Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.24)
- 1 medium yellow onion ($0.28)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 3 oz tomato paste ($0.26)
- 1 cup dry red lentils ($1.20)
- 1/2 lb carrots ($0.55)
- 1 medium potato ($0.49)
- 6 cups vegetable broth** ($0.78)
- 1 Tbsp cumin ($0.15)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat until soft and transparent (about 5 minutes). Add the tomato paste and continue to stir and cook for about 3-4 minutes more. The tomato paste will caramelize during this time, which will make it sweeter and cause it to look slightly darker.
- While the ingredients in the first step are cooking, peel and dice the potato and carrots. Rinse the lentils. Once the tomato paste has caramelized, add the carrots, potato, and lentils to the pot.
- Also add 6 cups of vegetable broth, cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Give everything a good stir to make sure it’s mixed well. Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to high, and bring the soup to a boil. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to its lowest level and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes.
- After it has simmered for 30 minutes give the pot a stir and add the salt, starting with 1/2 teaspoon. Add more if desired. I used about 3/4 teaspoon total. Serve hot!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Step By Step Photos
As always – dice the onion, mince the garlic. Cook both with olive oil over medium heat until soft.
Once the onions are soft, add the tomato paste. It will start out very bright red like this. (Don’t toss the rest of the tomato paste in the can, it can be frozen and used later).
Continue to stir and cook the tomato paste with the onions for 3-4 minutes. It will get a little dry and turn a deeper shade of red. That’s what you want. Make sure to stir often (although continuously is not necessary).
While all of that is going on, peel and dice the potato and carrots. I used a half pound of carrots, which is about 3-4 medium carrots or half of that bag.
Also, as with any dry bean product, make sure to give the lentils a good rinse. They’re so small that they’d slip through the slits in my colander, so I used a wire mesh sieve.
Add the potatoes, carrots, and lentils to the pot.
Add six cups of vegetable broth, cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir everything well to make sure the tomato paste is dissolved in. Put a lid on top, turn the heat up to high, and let it come to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and let it simmer there for 30 minutes (with the lid on).
After it has simmered for 30 minutes, the lentils will have soaked up a lot of the liquid and gotten all nice and soft. Stir everything together. Add the salt, starting with just 1/2 teaspoon, give it a taste, and then add more if desired.
Serve hot!
Quite hearty and delicious! Vegan Red Lentil Stew for the win.
I made this recipe after surgery where I was on a fluid diet. This recipe has a good texture after pureeing, if anyone else is looking for that.
This recipe is amazing. We’ve been making it for years now, and it’s such a quick recipe for a pretty decadent meal. We usually use chicken broth and throw in some type of protein (meatballs, sausages, chicken thighs). The base works well with pretty much any addition. Highly recommend!
I’ve made this several times, this recipe is a winner! I sometimes change spice to suit tastes for others but it’s a fairly quick, hearty and tasty dish that even meat eaters will enjoy.
I made this for rhe first time tonight. My lentils just disintegrated. Is this normal? lol.
Red and yellow lentils do break down when cooking, which is what makes them ideal for stews. But total disintegration seems odd. I would check the recommended cooking time on the package and adjust — or just cook for a little less! If you like a sturdier lentil, you could substitute green or brown lentils, but they will definitely need more cooking time to soften than red/yellow, and even still, tend to hold their shape once cooked (so it might be more of a soup than a stew). ~Marion :)
I’ve been making this recipe for years and am so appreciative of it. Not sure why I never commented or rated it before! I’m making a batch right now so figured I should finally rate it :)
This has been my absolute FAVORITE way to eat lentils, EVER! I always go back to this recipe. Its stores well, it freezes well, I love to make a big pot of it and share it with others too! I do add a little bit of celery and an extra potato because I like lots of veggies. It is so versatile and great just as a base to add whatever you want to it. Thank you so much for sharing this (years ago LOL), I just wanted you to know that I STILL love it today! :)
hello! I know this was posted years ago, but I was wondering if you cover while simmering, directions don’t say. I don’t remember what Ive done in the past becuase I’ve made this before and know it’s great! But I’m curious what you do about that. thanks!
No, you don’t need to cover this one as it simmers. :)
Do you think you could sub beef broth instead of vegetable? I ran out of chicken broth which is what I usually use.
Yes, I think beef broth would do fine with the other flavors in this stew. :)
Thank you :) Made it tonight (with chicken bullion) and it was great. I subbed sweet potato instead of regular potato. We felt it was a little heavy on the cumin but we still enjoyed it!
My family has COVID, so I made this soup to help us all feel better on this cold day. It was a major hit! My toddlers gobbled it up, and my husband said it was exactly what he needed. I used brown lentils because I couldn’t find red lentils at the store, and it turned out just fine. I suspect the red lentils make it slightly creamier, but we were all very happy with the final product.
This sounds delish! Since I don’t have tomato paste on hand, I will try drained, diced fired roasted tomatoes. Also, I’m going to add what Claire S. did, since I always have kale and beans on hand. It’s snowing right now, in White Plains, NY, and a good time to make a hearty stew.
Healthy and delicious. Warms my belly and my heart. I might add some black beans and kale next time to double down on protein and get some leafy greens in the mix.
I doubled this soup. I love how flexible this soup is. Time to clear out fridge before doing another grocery run, so I used what I had: brown lentils, an onion, most of a green bell pepper, more than 1/2 pound carrots, 3 ribs of celery, several small-to-medium potatoes, a mix of fresh and powdered garlic, and crushed red pepper, (instead of cayenne). So comforting on this cool evening. I have enough food for quite a few meals. If only the cool evenings will last. . . .
Yum! Easy to put together and great flavor?
delicious! Have made it several times and it is great!
I absolutely love this recipe! I always have some in the freezer now – a staple. I’ve followed the recipe exactly at times and I’ve added things like kale or cabbage and always more garlic (love my garlic) at other times. Always delicious! Can’t wait to try your other vegan recipes. Thank you!!
Great quick vegan meal! I added some chopped lacinato kale, used half the cumin and added a thumb of minced ginger and a touch of apple cider for a little complementary acidity. Fabulous, nutritious and economical!
I just made this and I love it! I made just a few small changes. I did 2 potatoes instead of one because I love lots of potatoes in my stew. I cooked this in my instant pot and I added a can of cut string beans at the end. It is delicious!
Can you substitute anything for the smoked paprika? If so, what?
You could do regular paprika in combination with some liquid smoke to get that smokiness, or if you don’t mind spicy flavors you could to a chipotle powder, which is smoked jalapeños.
How much is 1 serving? 1 cup, 1.5 cups, or 2 cups? Thank you.
Roughly 1.5 cups per serving
I would 100% recommend this recipe! So delicious & healthy, plus easy to make! Definitely my current favorite way to have red lentils.
Thank you Zoie! Happy to hear it’s a favorite!
I have been searching your recipes and me and my fosterson love most all of them!
Happy to hear it!
Just made this recipe. I followed the directions almost exactly. I did not add cayenne pepper. I added half of a sliced avocado on top too. It was so good! Really like dipping a slice of french bread in it too.
Did i just make this 4 times in the last 2 weeks? I didn’t think I was going to love this but just wanted to try red lentils for the first time. It is now my favorite. I even bought a new thermos so i can take this soup along with me. I wasn’t even a big soup person but after making those other recipes you have, I don’t feel right when I don’t have some on reserve in the fridge. It was my goal to increase my fiber intake and you have made me love lentils. Thank you!!!
Thanks for helping me eat healthier. May God bless you .
This is the first BudgetBytes recipe I have tried and It turned out AMAZING!!!! Cant wait to have this stew again and try out more of Beths fantastic creations!!!!!
Just made this and it is so good! I only used 4 and a half cups of liquid though so that it would be thicker. Finally, I added about 2 cups of spinach that I needed to use or lose. Will make again!
This was delicious!
Finally, a low effort stew I can whip up for dinner, and no soaking the lentils! Love it. On the menu for tonight.
I am a bit under the weather today and decided I wanted some soup for lunch. While I am not a vegan, I eat vegan during the day (they call what I do a VB6 – Vegan Before 6 pm). Since I had all the ingredients on hand to make this recipe, I decided to give this a go. For all recipes, I make it as written the first time, so this review is of the recipe as written.
I used organic “Better than Bouillon” vegetable base for the soup, 3 carrots, and started with only 1/4 teaspoon of salt then tasted. I’m not sure if I got a saltier jar this round or if my taster is off because of my cold, but that was all the salt this recipe needed. Glad your directions say to salt after it cooks a while because everyone’s taste for salt is a bit different (and some broths/bouillons are saltier than others).
I am having a bowl of it now, and this will definitely be going on the rotation to take to lunch or as a quick and healthy dinner at home. This soup reminds me of the crushed lentil soup I love so much at a local Lebanese place, which usually contains lemon. I might try the leftovers with a little squeeze of lemon before eating, but as written this recipe is very good!
Vegan or not, this soup doesn’t disappoint!! Thank you for another great and healthy recipe!
The secret ingredient is adding a ton of lemon or lime and omitting red for green lentils. I love this soup because you can change it up however you’d like and my family is a big fan.
This has become a staple since I found this on your site for years! Everyone I have made it for falls in love with it as well. SO CHEAP and SO EASY! I like a lot of your recipes, but this is a keeper!
I have this simmering away on the stove now…can’t wait to try it! I used a sweet potatoe because I didn’t have a regular one, and I used the cumin, chili powder and tumeric amounts that were listed for the Mexican lentil stew. Planning to top it with lime juice, Greek yogurt, cilantro, green onion and avocado slices! I’ll let you know how it turns out 😊
This was SSSOOO good!! Thank you for this recipe Beth, you’re the best 😊
This soup is fantastic! I’ve made it twice so far and it’s my fav. So healthy and soooooo easy and best of all so inexpensive. A definite winner :) thanks Beth!
Hello
I love your website. My sister told me about it and I am a FAN. I was wondering if the recipes would be compromised in any way if I halved them. Six cups of soup is daunting to a person cooking for one.
Thank you
Nancy
It really just depends on the recipe. For this one you would definitely want to use a smaller slow cooker because sometimes if they’re under-filled they don’t cook quite right. I used a 5 quart for this recipe. Another thing to consider is freezing half of the recipe in single portions. I do that for a majority of my recipes so that I can just reheat one portion at a time later when I don’t feel like cooking. :)
I just made this recipe for the 2nd time in a week! SO easy and cheap! We love eating this with avocado over the top. THANK YOU!!!!
Looks amazing, can’t wait to try this. May I suggest that people can buy their red lentils in Indian grocery stores for cheap?
They will love it! It’s so yummy ; ).
Do you think black beluga lentils would work just as well?
Also, should I soak the lentils beforehand?
The good thing about the red lentils for this stew is that they break down a lot and make the stew thick. Black lentils tend to stay intact like beans.
I made this with the addition of a few celery stalks I had on hand and it was fantastic. I served it with a loaf of no-knead bread for an easy Meatless Monday dish.
I like this recipe…i used yellow lentils that my roommate had that looked reddish to me, anyways it turned out really good even if i didn’t get the consistency that was described.
This was amazing. My child didn’t care for the texture of the lentils, but it was the first time trying them, deeming it “taco soup!”
Paired this with your Everyday Cornbread and a salad. We are so grateful for your easy instructions and creative recipes. This will be a staple in our meal plan rotation!
it’s FABULOUS!!!
love your recipes!!!
I made this last week and my husband and I loved it. He ate 3 bowls in one sitting!
I just discovered your blog, and this was the very first recipe I tried. It was an instant hit around here, and I’ll be making another batch tomorrow–We love it that much! The only thing I changed was using sweet potato instead of white potato, which I didn’t have, and not adding any salt. It didn’t seem to need it. This will be a family favorite forever.
I needed a soup to throw all my vegetables in before heading on break and this was perfect! I doubled the recipe and added a ton of mushrooms, it gives it a nice meaty flavor. Not quite as tasty as the Beth’s split pea or black bean lentil stew recipes, but definitely hits the spot!
I just made this recipe but swapped out green lentils for the red, added peas and corn, and threw it all in the slow cooker. The end result was amazing!!!
Last night I made the Bacon & Spinach Pasta with Parmesan, which was such a big hit that I had no leftovers to take for lunch today. So, I whipped up this Red Lentil Stew. It was surprisingly good! Almost everything I cook these days comes from this blog. Keep the awesome recipes coming!
Decent enough soup, I like that the ingredients are things that I pretty much always have on hand (except for tomato paste; luckily, I happened to have some in my pantry, but it’s rare for me). Plus I like how fast this soup is.
The soup was… ok. I used chicken soup base instead of vegetable stock, since that’s what I had, perhaps that is why? It was good, but not amazing. I like how healthy it is, and the amount of fiber it has, but there’s lots of other soups I like better.
The Red Lentil Stew is my favorite all time recipe. I don’t use oil though. Quick, easy, delicious and hearty. Everyone loves it especially in the winter.
I make several of your baked oatmeal recipes on a regular basis for my family but this was the first dinner recipe of yours I tried. I just happen to have the ingredients on a cold night I was having serious dinner block. My curry-hating, meat-loving husband was skeptical but found it to be better than he expected. I loved it! Thanks Beth! Great recipe!
Yummmm!!! Love all your recipes, but this soup just hits the spot on a cool evening. So glad I found your website. I recommend it to everyone.
So filling and delicious! Definitely making this again :)
I’m thinking of making this Saturday to eat on Sunday. Does it reheat well? I always worry that the veggies will “melt” away. :)
I thought it reheated well, although I’m not too picky when it comes to that. :)
Love making this for people, they all fall in love.
This is one my staples. Tonight I made it in preperation of Meatless Monday. Instead of a regular potato I added 1 medium sweet potato and grated (or riced) 1/2 a cauliflower head into it too. I also added 1 tablespoon of chipotle in adobo. I just put the whole can of chipotle in adobo in my food processor and then freeze it in an ice tray by the tablespoon. It is delicious! Nothing wrong with the original recipe either! Thanks for the recipes!
My favorites of the soups/stews I’ve done from here. Absolutely wonderful!
We just made this last night and it’s absolutely DELISH! We didn’t have vegetable broth, so we substituted it with chicken broth and it worked out well. Thanks!
Made this and my teen ate three bowls! I’m vegan and she is vegetarian – and this was a perfect meal for us and it made enough for us to have for lunch 2 days with me finishing it off for a late dinner last night. Scrumptious!
It works very well with homemade ham stock (it’s what I had available, left over from a slow cooked ham shank a couple of weeks back). I increased the smoked paprika from a teaspoon to a tablespoon as well, for the sole reason that I like smoked paprika, and threw some cheap frozen cauliflower and broccoli in for extra goodness.
I found using ham stock there was no need to add extra salt.
Where can you find red lentils?
I think I had found mine at a produce market, but you can check places like Whole Foods, ethnic markets, or anywhere that you can buy beans in bulk.
I’m trying this right now! Although I had to deviate from the original recipe. I could only find brown lentils and added 1/2 tbsp of curry powder to the mix and have it all stewing in my slow cooker.
Tip for anyone who doesn’t have a mesh strainer:
Use a needle to poke many small holes in the bag of lentils. Cut off one end of the bag and then run water drain through it. You’ll have to squeeze the bag around a little to make sure all of your lentils are sufficiently rinsed.
Does this recipe freeze well? I just made a batch but realized I can’t eat it all by myself before it goes bad!
Yes, it freezes excellently. :)
I loved this!!!! I doubled it so that I could freeze a tonne for later (living out of home for the first time and working+studying) I love soup and I’m so excited.
I made it, but was a little low on carrots so I added some extra potato, then I also added celery and some cut up tomatos. It added some extra veggies and bulked it up more. Then I could eat it for ages afterwards.
YUMMM!!!! Currently eating it and loving it.
Made this for dinner tonight – it is DELICIOUS! I didn’t have veggie broth, so I subbed chicken broth, and it was amazing. I will definitely be making this again!
I love this recipe! It’s my absolute favourite and there’s so many variations you can make. Sometimes I add in beans or change the type of broth or add extra veggies.
Filling and satisfying!
I combined this recipe with the Mexican Lentil Stew. I added a red bell pepper (on sale for 33 cents!), the spices listed in the Mexican stew, and topped it with crushed tortilla chips and cilantro. It was hearty yet light enough for summer.
I made this for dinner and added kale because you know it sitting there in my fridge all lonely and I love kale. Talk about party in my mouth! Great recipe! Another winning recipe, Beth! Well done girlfriend!
I made a big batch of this for dinner last night and added kale and lime. Turned out DELICIOUS! Another winning recipe, Beth. Well done!
So, I came across this recipe because I had taken red lentils out 2 days ago and soaked them to make lentil burgers. Today I looked to find that they had started to sprout! so at 10 o’clock at night I decided to make this soup for the week so as not to waste the lentils! Thank you!
YUM! Loved this recipe, very filling and sooo good for you! Thank you!!
Made this soup a lot already! It’s incredible!
New favorite soup! Thanks for the recipe!
Best. Soup. Ever.
I’ve made it 3 times in the last month!
Made this recipe and doubled it for extra meals! OMG it tasted wonderful! I sent an email to friends and family to check this recipe out.
I just made this today and it came out amazing! I had a few pounds of extra red lentils laying around, so I thought I’d put them to good use. I added curry powder, a tablespoon of butter, and about 5oz. of tomato paste. While I was making it, my grandmother asked to try some and said she loved it and that I should make more for the whole family. It’s really filling and cheap. Great recipe.
Just made this – delicious! I used sweet potatoes instead of regular and threw in a splash of wine and a pinch of red pepper flakes, too! This recipe will definitely be made again during the coming months (Seattle winters are pretty gloomy, this soup will be most welcome).
Becca – You can try using any type of pureed tomato product, but you might want to add double since it won’t be concentrated like tomato paste. Also, try reducing the broth just a little to make up for the added volume of the pureed tomatoes.
Do you know of any good substitutes for tomato paste? I don’t know if I can find it easily here in Israel.
Thanks for the quick response!!))
Anonymous – Absolutely, chicken broth would be great :)
Do you think this would be okay with chicken broth instead of the vegetable broth?
Made it, ate it, loved it.
This came out delicious! Wow! Can’t believe I just cooked this masterpiece!
that’s pretty much how i make it, except no potato and i puree at the end. i also add fresh lemon juice and dried or fresh mint, to make it Turkish!
I made this tonight and it was FABULOUS. I thought it wouldn’t be very flavorful, but it packed a punch! First time trying red lentils, and I am hooked. Thank you so much!
I think everyone in my neighborhood must be making this because the red lentil bin was nearly empty at my grocery store today! Can’t wait to try it!
LOL are you joking about the temperature outside? Here in Utah we think 45 is really nice weather, as long as it’s sunny. Anyway. Thank you for a great site with good VEGAN recipes.
http://www.miamourboutique.com
Thank you for making something us vegans can eat! (even though many of your recipes can be easily converted over..yet another reason I adore your site). I dig lentils too..so cheap, healthy and filling AND I’ve been itching to make soup. Perfect!
another variation would be to add some coconut milk towards the end of cooking…gives it a great richness.
Bonjour, bravo pour les jolies recettes que vous partagez avec nous.
Votre soupe de lentilles rouges, me plait beaucoup.
Un bonjour de la PROVENCE, FRANCE
Yum! I’m so excited that the one type of lentils I’ve found so far (China!) are the red ones. I also love that the ingredients are very easy to find everywhere (minus cayenne and paprika, but I CAN get those!). So excited to be making this tonight with a little bit of pork!
Love red lentil soup. This is like a jazzed up version of the one I make. I make one with just carrot, cumin, garlic and onion a lot, but caramelize the onions first. I always add homemade curried croutons as a flourish at the end. Also good with a blob of plain yogurt added. Toasted pita stuffed with cheddar or yogurt cheese is also a good accompaniment. Will definitely try your version!
this is such a comforting dish. I love the use of red lentils because unlike other lentils, its very quick in cooking and has milder taste. the weather in dallas is still warm so not appropriate for soup :(
I make a red lentil Dahl that is yummy.. it’s my sons favorite. I will try this. I always have lentils on hand! :)
If you like the red lentils- another direction you can take them is mulligatawny stew. Very similar ingredients but takes an indian twist.
Looks delicious! I always use canned lentils because it’s so easy, but I’ll make an exception for this one.
I find that soup develops better flavor if I bloom the spices with the veggies before the liquid goes in.
That sounds fabulous, and I think I have most of the ingredients already. I’m going to have to wait a bit, though, as my water is apparently turned off due to a nearby water main break. Thanks for the recipe though!
I actually just ran out of lentils this week and need to stop by the Indian grocery store this weekend. I love grabbing my spices and dried goods there in bulk!
This looks so yummy and perfect for Fall.
Wow this looks so simple and good! I know it defeats the purpose/ name but I’ll probably add a tablespoon of cold butter stirred in at the end to give it a nice subtle richness. It’s a trick a lot of people use for healthy soups and tomato sauces and it’s truly incredible! Makes the soup taste creamy, rich, and decadent for really just a miniscule (1 tbsp proportionate to the entire pot!) amount of butter!
Shannon – Yes, the texture will be quite different. Red lentils cook up very soft and mushy and pretty much dissolve into the stew, whereas regular (brown or green) lentils will, for the most part, stay whole leaving you with more broth-like soup.
This looks great! I hope I can find red lentils. I usually can only find them if we go into the big city…they certainly aren’t local. We love regular lentil soup too. Thanks for posting!
I can’t find red or green lentils here in my area. If I use regular lentils will there be a big difference in taste or texture?
MMM… This looks delicious!!! Can’t wait to make it! Thanks.
Oh this soup look awesome! I’m definitely going to be trying this one.