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This hearty vegan lentil soup is loaded with spices and vegetables like carrots, golden potatoes, celery, and spinach. It’s a super easy, cozy lunch or dinner!
Right up there with guacamoleand granola, soup is one of those things I’d always rather do homemade rather than purchase if possible. So, today, I’m sharing this really simple recipe for my hearty vegan lentil soup.
This lentil soup recipe is perfect for…
• Vegetarians and vegans
• Those looking for a Meatless Monday recipe
• Anyone trying to cut down on their grocery bill since meatless recipes are so budget-friendly!
Like many soup recipes, this lentil soup is really adaptable. You could use chopped sweet potatoes instead of golden potatoes, you could sub chopped kale for the spinach, or you could use red lentils instead of the standard green or brown.
The base recipe is a perfectly spiced, thick soup that’s super satisfying even with no meat involved. And a squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds a touch of brightness to the soup.
The last time I was at home, my mom made a different lentil soup recipe that sounded good, but it required several extra steps, including transferring a portion of the soup to a blender to puree. We both agreed the end result just wasn’t worth it the extra time or dishes to wash.
My number-one recipe pet peeve is unnecessary extra steps, so this recipe is as simple as it gets!
I use my favorite soup trick here, which is to run a potato masher through the soup briefly to thicken it up. It’s the same idea as transferring some of the soup to a blender, but you don’t have to wash your blender afterward. (You can also use a fork to mash some of the soup against the side of the post if you don’t have a potato masher.)
For a lot of reasons, lentils are an awesome food to add to your diet. They’re high in fiber, protein, minerals and vitamins, and low in calories. They’re also high in insoluble fiber, which is great for digestion, and soluble fiber, which helps reduce your cholesterol. You can feel GOOD about eating a big bowl or two of this soup!
And if you have leftover soup, you can freeze it in a big container or in individual servings. I use pint wide-mouth mason jars, which are the perfect size for one big serving,to freeze leftover batches of soup every week or two. Then, the night before I want to eat it, I place the container in the refrigerator to defrost and then reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave.
While this soup is vegan on its own, I highly recommend serving this soup with shredded parmesan if you’re not strictly vegan or vegetarian (some parmesan cheese contains animal rennet). But either way–toppings or no toppings–hope you love this lentil soup!
If you try this homemade vegan lentil soup recipe, feel freeto let me know ina comment or take a picture and tag me@livbane on Instagram. I’d love to see!
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5 from 16 votes
Hearty Vegan Lentil Soup
This hearty vegan lentil soup is an easy dinner recipe, perfect for Meatless Monday or a healthy, inexpensive dinner recipe!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 280kcal
Author: Liv
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. cooking oil (I use grapeseed or avocado oil)
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/2 lb yellow potatoes (approx. 2-3 small potatoes), diced into small cubes
- 1 1/2 cups green or brown lentils, rinsed
- 28 oz. diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 quart (4 cups) vegetable broth
- 2 cups water (add 1 extra cup if you like thinner soup)
- 1 tsp. each salt, black pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin, & dried thyme
- 1 cup fresh spinach or kale, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (approx. 1/2 lemon)
Instructions
Place a medium or large pot on stove over medium heat. Add cooking oil and chopped onion. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until onion is tender.
Add chopped carrots, celery, potatoes, lentils, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, water, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and thyme. Turn heat up to high and bring soup to a boil. Turn heat back down to medium-low and lightly simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until lentils and potatoes are both tender.
Run a potato masher through the soup (or use a fork) to lightly mash some of it to thicken. Chop fresh spinach or kale. Add spinach/kale and lemon juice to the soup and allow the greens to wilt. Enjoy!
Store leftover soup in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze in large containers or pint-size mason jars for individual servings up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 2g | Sugar: 7g
Looking for other lentil recipes? Check out my sweet potato, lentil, and black bean vegetarian chili!
