Description
A comforting and zesty Lemon Lentil Soup made with red lentils, fresh vegetables, and fragrant spices, perfect for a nutritious and warming meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 3 large carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cups red lentils
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Finishing Touches
- Juice from 1 lemon (about 5 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Optional: spinach or kale
- To top: parsley or cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat then add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
- Cook the lentils: Pour the vegetable stock over the vegetables, then add the red lentils, bay leaves, turmeric and cumin and stir well. Turn the heat up to medium-high to bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
- Add lemon and seasoning: Remove the lid and stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
- Blend the soup: Transfer 2 cups of soup to a blender and blend on high until smooth then pour it back into the soup and stir to combine. You can also use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup to your desired consistency.
- Wilt the greens: Add the spinach or kale, if using, and cook to wilt for 3 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh cracked black pepper and parsley or cilantro.
Notes
- To store: allow any leftover soup to cool then place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: place the soup in an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 6 months. Lay the bag flat to freeze then stand it upright to save room. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
- Reheating: pour leftover soup into a large pot and warm over medium heat until heated through.
- Different lentils: you can swap red lentils for any lentils you have on hand; the color will vary but it will still taste great.
- Canned lentils: For convenience, use 2 cans of drained and rinsed lentils. Simmer broth with vegetables for 10 minutes, add canned lentils and simmer another 10 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about 1.5 cups)
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 9 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
