This vegetable lentil soup is an easy and hearty soup made with fresh vegetables and protein-rich lentils. Ground cumin adds warmth, and a splash of red wine vinegar is the secret ingredient that makes it an outstanding soup recipe. Skip the cheese to make it dairy-free/vegan, and serve it with a crusty roll for a delicious weeknight meal. I've even got instructions on how to make it using your slow cooker!
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One of the best things about making a big pot of soup is that it always tastes better the next day - it's like a gift you're giving your future self!
There are soups that I make all winter long, like Italian soup, easy vegetarian chili, and Southwest soup. But there's a new contender for my favorite soup with this vegetable lentil soup. It's a super easy vegetarian soup that's so comforting.
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⭐️ Why This Lentil Soup is the Best
- Hearty lentil soup that's filling and good for you
- Quick and easy budget-friendly soup recipe made with pantry ingredients and fresh veggies
- Healthy vegetable soup recipe that's high in protein, high in fiber, and vegetarian with a vegan option
- Freezes well so you can make a double batch!
- Excellent meal-prep option for busy weekdays; option to make it in a slow cooker
🧅 Ingredient Notes
- Yellow onion - you can substitute 2-3 medium shallots if desired
- Garlic - use fresh garlic for the best flavor
- Ground cumin - adds a subtle warm spiciness to your soup
- Thyme - use ½ tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Tomato paste - adds concentrated tomato flavor, so a little bit goes a long way. You can also use ketchup as a substitute.
- Dried green lentils - be sure to rinse and drain your lentils to get rid of any debris. If you substitute red lentils, you can cut the cooking time in half. If you love lentils, be sure to try my French lentil salad!
- Red wine vinegar - adds nuanced flavor to the soup!
- Kale - you can substitute Swiss chard or collard greens for similar flavor.
- Parmesan cheese - adding cheese on top is optional, but I love the nutty and salty flavor it adds to the soup. If you are vegan/dairy-free, you can sprinkle nutritional yeast on top.
📝 Soup Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Crock Pot/slow cooker instructions: Place all ingredients into a slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours.
- Use your favorite veggies. Vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, or potatoes will work great.
🔪 How to Make Vegetable Lentil Soup
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Add the vegetable stock, tomato paste, and rinsed lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the lentils are softened and tender.
Add the kale leaves and cook for 5 minutes, or until wilted.
Remove from heat and add the red wine vinegar. Season to taste. Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, if using.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips and Tricks
- Storage: Cover soup and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- How to reheat soup: You can heat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. To heat on the stovetop, place soup pot over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until heated through, stirring frequently. You might want to add additional broth to thin it out a bit if it's too thick.
- How to freeze soup: Cool soup in the refrigerator, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. I like to portion my soup into quart-sized freezer bags for easier thawing. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight, or place bag into a warm bowl of water for 30 minutes.
- Use green or brown lentils. If you use red lentils, you will need to cut the cooking time in half.
🥄 How to Serve Vegetable Soup with Lentils
- You can never go wrong serving soup with a crusty roll, focaccia, biscuits, or flatbread.
- Make it a heartier meal by serving it over brown or white rice.
- Soup and salad are a classic combination. Pair it with fennel salad or salad with roasted cauliflower.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Lentils do not need to be soaked for soup, as they cook relatively quickly compared to other legumes. However, soaking can reduce cooking time slightly and make them easier to digest for some people. But, it's not necessary.
The foam on top of lentil soup is primarily caused by the release of proteins and starches from the lentils as they cook. It's completely harmless and can be skimmed off if you don't like the way it looks.
🥣 More Soup Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook.
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Vegetable Lentil Soup Recipe
Equipment
- large pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dried green lentils, rinsed in a colander
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 large pieces of kale (leaves only), chopped
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the vegetable stock, tomato paste, and rinsed lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the lentils are softened and tender.
- Add the kale leaves and cook for 5 minutes, or until wilted.
- Remove from heat and add the red wine vinegar. Season to taste. Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, if using.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Cover soup and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- How to reheat soup: You can heat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. To heat on the stovetop, place soup pot over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until heated through, stirring frequently.
- How to freeze soup: Cool soup in the refrigerator, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. I like to portion my soup into quart-sized freezer bags for easier thawing. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight, or place bag into a warm bowl of water for 30 minutes.
- Use green or brown lentils. If you use red lentils, you will need to cut the cooking time in half.
Barb says
This soup sounds good for workday nights meals. Sounds hearty and filling!
MaryAnne says
Yes, it's perfect for busy weeknights! I hope you give it a try!
Kerry H says
Absolutely delicious! Sautéed the onion, garlic, carrots and celery in the olive oil then added to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients. Added the kale at the end and finally the vinegar. Will definitely make this again!
MaryAnne says
Thanks so much for your review, Kerry! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
KK says
Delicious. I enjoyed it very much! It had a complex flavor already before the splash of red wine vinegar, but that really sealed the deal. I just didn't have kale so I subbed with a bit of chopped steamed broccoli (steamed it before making the soup, so just one pot dirtied!). It had this delicious vegetabley-sweetness to it that reminded me of soups made with beets or cabbage (like borscht especially) which I really love.
MaryAnne says
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! I agree that the red wine vinegar really takes it up a notch, and I love the addition of broccoli! Thanks for leaving a review!