Vegan Red Lentil Soup, made with split red lentils, tomatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, and onions, is both hearty and soothing. This Red Lentil Soup is extremely easy to make with few ingredients and all of them prepared in a single pot, making this an Easy Red Lentil Soup! Our recipe uses Vegan butter which lends a rich and creamy flavor! Red lentils are extremely healthy and often included in Mediterranean diets. We are going to show you how to make what we consider the Best Red Lentil Soup, what to serve it with, how to store it, and a bit about the health benefits of lentils! We hope you enjoy this Red Lentil Soup Recipe!
This soup is made often in my house for many reasons. Vegan Red Lentil Soup is extremely easy to make. You’ll be using a single Dutch oven to cook everything. I also love that minimal preparation of vegetables is necessary for this soup. That’s because you’re only using a half cup of carrots, celery, and onions. For this reason, it’s also an easy recipe to memorize! What I love most though is that, in using fewer onions (which can sometimes have a bitter taste) the flavors of this soup are very mild and soothing. The focal flavors here are mostly the red lentils, tomatoes, and Vegan butter. The texture is very soft and creamy yet, with all these subtleties, this is a filling soup!
Let’s now talk about how to make the Best Red Lentil Soup!
Vegan Red Lentil Soup Recipe
- Red split lentils
- Tomatoes
- Vegetable broth
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Vegan butter
- Olive oil
How to Make Red Lentil Soup
- Sauté onions, celery, and carrots. Add oil to a Dutch oven and heat over medium high. Sauté onion, celery, and carrots; stir frequently until onions brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Garlic. Add garlic; cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Tomatoes. Add tomatoes with juice; cook for another 7 to 9 minutes.
- Lentils and broth. Add lentils and broth; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer with pot covered for 30 minutes.
- Blender. Remove pot from heat and, using an immersion blender, blend half the soup.
- Butter. Stir in butter.
As you can see, there are really only a few simple steps; sauté your onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Then pour in your lentils, tomatoes, and broth. Once the lentils are cooked, blend half the lentils with an immersion blender. I do this by focusing my use of the immersion blender on one side of the pot.
Add your butter, stir, and enjoy!
Tips and Suggestions
- Clumpy lentils. You’ll want to be careful because after you rinse your lentils and add them to the pot they have a tendency to clump together. Make sure that you thoroughly break them up by stirring them well into the broth.
- Garnish. Garnish your soup with fresh parsley, basil, and croutons.
Don’t forget to check out my recipe for Homemade Croutons to go with this soup recipe!
Why Use Split Lentils?
When lentils have had their seed shell removed and are cut in half they are considered split. As such, they take less time to cook and have a tendency to break down faster. So, why use them? These lentils are perfect for this recipe because they not only cook quicker but are also more smooth and creamy when blended.
Why Use Red Lentils?
Similar to our reasoning for using split lentils, when cooked, red lentils break down more than do other types of lentils which creates a creamy and soft texture to our soup.
How Long Will it Keep in the Refrigerator?
Vegan Red Lentil Soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, making it a great recipe for meal prep. Make a quick batch of this soup up on Sunday and enjoy it throughout the week! Refrigerate in a covered glass bowl or plastic container.
Can You Freeze Lentil Soup?
Yes you can! It keeps really well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Freeze using quart-sized freezer bags.
What to Serve With Red Lentil Soup?
This soup is so filling that you won’t find yourself searching for a side dish. However, maybe some good bread or a salad would work great here! Try our Mediterranean Salad or Avocado Tomato Salad for something light to accompany this great soup!
Health Benefits of Lentils
Lentils, consisting of 25% protein, are a great alternative to meat. They are packed with B vitamins, zinc, potassium, magnesium, and iron. Lentils are also high in polyphenols, a healthy phytochemical containing anti-inflammatory properties. These same polyphenols are also believed to have an affect on lowering risk of heart disease. (1, 2, 3)
That concludes another great plant based recipe! Just below you’ll find some other awesome recipes you’ll enjoy!
Vegan Soup and Stew Recipes
- Cauliflower Soup
- Cabbage Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Vegan Chili
- Cuban Black Bean Soup
- Ribollita Soup
- Vegan Tortilla Soup
- Moroccan Harira Soup
- Shipwreck Stew
- 4 Ingredient Potato Soup
- Pozole Verde
Vegan Lentil Recipes
Vegan Red Lentil Soup
Vegan Red Lentil Soup, made with split red lentils, tomatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, and onions, is both hearty and soothing. This Red Lentil Soup is extremely easy to make with few ingredients and all of them prepared in a single pot, making this an Easy Red Lentil Soup! Our recipe uses Vegan butter which lends a rich and creamy flavor! Red lentils are extremely healthy and often included in Mediterranean diets. We are going to show you how to make what we consider the Best Red Lentil Soup, what to serve it with, how to store it, and a bit about the health benefits of lentils! We hope you enjoy this Red Lentil Soup Recipe!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup carrot, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes, juice included
- 2 cups split red lentils, rinsed
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons Vegan butter
Instructions
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; saute stirring frequently until onions begin to brown, roughly 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add in garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in tomatoes with juice and cook for another 7 to 9 minutes until some of the juice evaporates.
- Add lentils and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and put the lid over the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes until lentils are soft.
- Remove pot from the heat and, using an immersion blender, blend half of the soup.
- Stir in Vegan butter.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 282Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 865mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 7gSugar: 10gProtein: 7g
The Vegan Plate attempts to provide accurate information. However, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.
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