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red lentil soup
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5 from 8 votes

Red Lentil Soup

Everyone needs a good red lentil soup recipe - hearty, comforting, warming, and just bursting with a myriad of flavors. While there are many lentil soup recipes, this Moroccan-spiced variation is my favorite. It's one of those soups I make over and over again. It’s vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), grain-free (gluten-free), soy-free, and nut-free.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 184kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 onion , chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 carrot , chopped
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • sea salt , to taste
  • fresh parsley leaves , for garnish
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Sauté the aromatics and spices. Heat the oil in medium-size pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Then add the cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
  • Caramelize the tomato paste. Add the tomato paste and let it "brown" in the pan for a few minutes together with the aromatics and spices.
  • Simmer. Add the carrot, lentils, and vegetable broth, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, season with salt (if the vegetable broth doesn't contain salt already), and simmer, partially covered, until the lentils begin to break apart into a smooth, velvet-like texture, about 30 minutes. 
  • Stir in the lemon juice and spinach. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and spinach.
  • Season. Taste and adjust the flavor, adding more salt for saltiness, garlic for pungency, cumin for an earthy flavor, cayenne pepper for heat, and lemon juice for acidity.
  • Serve. Garnish the soup with freshly chopped parsley and a wedge of lemon. Serve hot.
  • Store. Leftovers keep well covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. For longer term storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
  • Reheat. The easiest way to reheat frozen soup is to remove it from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator 24 hours before reheating to thaw slightly. Reheat on a stovetop, adding extra 1/4 cup (60 ml) water/broth at a time if too thick.

Notes

*Nutrition information is approximate and may contain errors. Please, feel free to make your own calculations.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 6 | Calories: 184kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6g | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 4g