This rich and hearty lentil soup is one of my very favorite recipes! I get requests for it even from my non-vegan family and friends, so I make it often. I like to always keep some in the freezer so I can make a quick, satisfying meal in minutes on busy days. It’s perfect with a few slices of whole grain bread! Here are the ingredients you will need to make it:
Be sure to use red lentils because they really do have a better texture and flavor than green or brown ones in this recipe! Tip: do NOT rinse them until just a few minutes before you are going to add them to the soup. They will stick together like glue if they sit too long after being rinsed!
Melt the vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread) in a large soup pot over medium heat, then add the crushed red pepper flakes and cook them until they start making a popping sound and smell fragrant.
Add the onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms, then mix them into the melted butter.
Add the Magickal Seasoning Blend and mix it in. Cook the vegetables for twelve minutes over medium-high heat.
Add the mashed roasted garlic, sugar, curry powder, coriander, cumin, cardamom, and thyme. Mix them in and cook for three more minutes.
Add the cans of tomatoes (including the liquid), Tamari, chick’n broth, and water. Mix together. (You can use store-bought vegetable broth or make broth from Magickal Broth Powder if you don’t have homemade chick’n broth on hand.)
Add the bay leaf, cover the pot, and bring the soup to a boil over medium heat.
Rinse the lentils, then add them to the boiling soup and stir them in. Cover the pot again, reduce the heat, and simmer for twenty-five minutes.
This next step is optional, but I do recommend it. Blending part of the soup gives it a thicker and more polished texture. It tastes really good either way, though, so you can decide whether the additional step is worth it to you.
Remove about six cups of the soup to a bowl, then blend it with an immersion blender until it is smooth and creamy.
Pour the blended portion back into the pot and stir to combine.
Add the spinach and mix it in. Frozen cut leaf spinach (defrosted and drained) works just as well as fresh spinach in this soup. You can use fresh if you prefer, though, as long as you chop it up into pieces about two inches by half an inch.
Simmer for another twenty minutes, uncovered, then turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
Cover the pot again, and let the soup stand for thirty minutes. It will be hard to wait because your kitchen will be smelling wonderful! You will be rewarded for your patience, though, as the flavors deepen and meld during this time.
Now, your soup is ready to eat! I like to add a pat of vegan butter and lots of pepper, and have several slices of buttered bread on the side. It is one of my all-time favorite meals when served this way!
These first few photos show the soup without the blending step:
I love to dip the buttered bread into my soup!
These final photos show soup with the blending step:
Enjoy!
Hearty Lentil Vegetable Soup
Thick, rich, and delicious, this soup is full of healthy veggies and lentils! Serve it with whole grain bread for a wonderfully satisfying meal!
Ingredients
- 42 g (3 TBS) Vegan Butter
- 0.8 g (1/2 tsp) Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 360 g (3 c) Chopped Onions
- 360 g (3 c) Chopped Carrots
- 240 g (2 c) Chopped Celery
- 8 oz Mushrooms, sliced or cut into 1/2" pieces
- 48 g (4 TBS) Magickal Seasoning Blend
- 35 g (2 TBS) Roasted Garlic
- 25 g (2 TBS) Vegan Sugar
- 3.0 g (1 1/4 tsp) Curry Powder
- 1.3 g (1 tsp) Ground Coriander
- 1.1 g (1/2 tsp) Ground Cumin
- 0.5 g (1/4 tsp) Ground Cardamom
- 0.4 g (1/4 tsp) Ground Thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried leaves)
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 28 oz cans Petite Diced Tomatoes
- 1 lb Red Lentils
- 1,440 g (6 c) Vegan Chick'n Broth
- 1,440 g (6 c) Water
- 45 g (3 TBS) Reduced-Sodium Tamari Soy Sauce
- 16 oz Fresh or Frozen Cut Leaf Spinach
- 60 g (1/4 c) Lemon Juice
Instructions
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Melt the vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread) in a large soup pot over medium heat, then add the crushed red pepper flakes and cook them until they start making a popping sound and smell fragrant.
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Add the onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms, then mix them into the melted butter. Add the Magickal Seasoning Blend and mix it in. Cook the vegetables for twelve minutes over medium-high heat.
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Add the mashed roasted garlic, sugar, curry powder, coriander, cumin, cardamom, and thyme. Mix them in and cook for three more minutes.
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Add the cans of tomatoes (including the liquid), Tamari, vegan broth, and water. Add the bay leaf, cover the pot, and bring the soup to a boil over medium heat.
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Rinse the lentils, then add them to the boiling soup and stir them in. Cover the pot again, reduce the heat, and simmer for twenty-five minutes.
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Optional step: Remove about six cups of the soup to a bowl, then blend it with an immersion blender until it is smooth and creamy. Pour the blended portion back into the pot and stir to combine.
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Add the spinach and mix it in. Frozen cut leaf spinach (defrosted and drained) works just as well as fresh spinach in this soup. You can use fresh if you prefer, though, as long as you chop it up into pieces about two inches by half an inch.
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Simmer for another twenty minutes, uncovered, then turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
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Cover the pot again, and let the soup stand for thirty minutes. Serve and enjoy!
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This soup freezes beautifully! Let it cool, then freeze portions in containers with lids or in Ziploc bags. Defrost and heat to piping hot when you are ready to serve the soup.
Recipe Notes
- Be sure to use red lentils because they really do have a better texture and flavor than green or brown ones in this recipe! Tip: do NOT rinse them until just a few minutes before you are going to add them to the soup. They will stick together like glue if they sit too long after being rinsed!
- I use my homemade vegan chick'n broth in this soup. However, you can use store-bought vegetable broth or make broth from Magickal Broth Powder if you don’t have homemade chick’n broth on hand.