This lentil vegetable soup is so good you won’t miss the meat. In this recipe, lentils are cooked with tomatoes, a combination of spices and mixed vegetables.
This lentil soup is great for weeknights since they cook pretty fast (by bean standards). It’s a delicious meatless meal that’s hearty and satisfying.
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Lentil vegetable soup ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion, finely diced
- 1 Celery Rib, diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Coriander
- ¼ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 14.5 ounce can Diced Tomatoes (we used fire roasted tomatoes)
- 12 ounces Dried Lentils, sorted, rinsed and drained
- 8 cups Vegetable Broth, use your favorite brand
- 10 ounces Frozen Mixed Vegetable, defrosted
- Salt, to taste if needed
Prep Work
The prep work for this vegetable lentil soup is quick and easy.
Pick through the lentils looking for any foreign objects such as small stones. I put this instruction in all my lentil recipes because it’s so important to not skip this step.
Here’s a picture of a rock found I found in a pack of lentils. This is not the first one I’ve found! Actually, I find more stones in lentils than in any other type of dry bean.
Then again, I make lentils more than any other bean. Still, sort through them carefully, this little rock will really put a hurting on someone’s tooth!
Once the lentils are sorted, give them a good rinse with cold water.
Dice the onions and celery and mince the garlic. Then add the paprika, coriander, oregano and black pepper to a small bowl.
I like to use glass nesting bowls to keep my prepped ingredients. Having everything organized and ready to go takes the stress out of cooking.
Now, all that’s missing is defrosting the frozen vegetables. They’re not going in pot until near the end, so you can take care of that while the lentil soup is cooking.
For the vegetables, get a steam-in-the-bag variety. They are super convenient!
For the vegetable broth, use your favorite brand. There are some pretty tasty ones on the market. For this soup we used Better than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base and followed the package directions to make 8 cups.
How to make lentil vegetable soup
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and celery to the pot. Cook gently for 3 minutes until the onions start to soften and become translucent, stir them frequently.
- Next, add the garlic, paprika, coriander, oregano and black pepper to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Finally, add the tomatoes to the pot and stir. We used fire roasted diced tomatoes in this lentil soup. We’re kind of hooked on them right now!
- Add the lentils and the vegetable broth to the pot and raise the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil.
- When the broth is boiling, lower the heat to medium and cover the pot. Cook the lentils for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Prepare the vegetables when the 20 minutes are almost up. Cook them according to the package directions, but give them only half the time. We just want to defrost them. They will finish cooking in the lentil soup.
If you like your lentils al dente, with a little bite in the middle:
Check the lentils after the first 20 minutes of cooking. If they are almost ready, add the mixed vegetables to the pot and cook them for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If you like your lentils on the tender side:
Lower the heat to medium-low and cook the lentils for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then taste the lentils again. If they are almost ready, add the mixed vegetables to the pot and cook them for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste the lentil vegetable soup and add salt if needed. We want to wait until the end to add salt to this soup because the canned tomatoes and vegetable broth both contain a good amount of salt already.
We can always adjust at the end. As a reference, we didn’t add any extra salt to our soup.
A note about cooking lentils
The cooking time for the lentils is a guide more than a set rule. Cooking times for lentils (and any dried beans in general) will depend on their freshness.
Sometimes the lentils will become tender right away, but sometimes it will take a bit more time to get them there. Keep an eye on them, test a couple and adjust the cooking time as needed.
You may also like these meatless meals and side dishes:
- Artichoke Salad
- Tomato and Olive Pasta
- Creamy Vegetable Soup
- Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
- Marinated Tomatoes
- Lemon Pepper Pasta
📖 Recipe
Lentil Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion finely diced
- 1 Celery Rib diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Coriander
- ¼ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 14.5 ounce can Diced Tomatoes
- 12 ounces Dried Lentils sorted, rinsed and drained
- 8 cups Vegetable Broth use your favorite brand
- 10 ounces Frozen Mixed Vegetables cooked to half the package suggested cooking time
- Salt to taste if needed
Instructions
Prep Work
- Pick through the lentils looking for any foreign objects such as small stones. Once the lentils are sorted, give them a good rinse with cold water.
- Dice the onions and celery and mince the garlic. Then add the paprika, coriander, oregano and black pepper to a small bowl.
Start the flavor base for the lentil soup
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and celery to the pot. Cook gently for 3 minutes until the onions start to soften and become translucent, stir them frequently.
- Add the garlic, paprika, coriander, oregano and black pepper to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the tomatoes to the pot and stir well.
Make the lentil soup
- Add the lentils and the vegetable broth to the pot and raise the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil.
- When the broth is boiling, lower the heat to medium and cover the pot. Cook the lentils for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Prepare the vegetables – When the 20 minutes are almost up, cook the vegetables for half of the time on the package directions. We just want to defrost them. They will finish cooking in the lentil soup.
If you like your lentils al dente, with a little bite in the middle:
- Check the lentils after the first 20 minutes of cooking. If they are almost ready, add the mixed vegetables to the pot and cook them for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If you like your lentils more on the tender side:
- Lower the heat to medium-low and cook the lentils for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then taste the lentils again. If they are almost ready, add the mixed vegetables to the pot and cook them for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste the lentil vegetable soup and add salt if needed. As a reference, we didn’t add any extra salt to our soup.
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