Easy Lentil Soup
Level
Easy
Time
40 min
Serves
8
Published January 8, 2023 by Dr. Stephanie Gray, DC
This post may contain affiliate links.
Nothing is better than a bowl of homemade soup. This is a plant based soup with onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes and lentils. I added curry powder and cumin for a nutritional kick and some warmth. This recipe is healthy, inexpensive and very easy to make. It’s made with simple, whole food ingredients. It makes a BIG batch, so you can eat soup for lunch all week.
Soup is something that should always be made in a kitchen and never a factory. Soup is one of the easiest things to make at home. You basically put ingredients in a pot, add liquid and let it cook.
I always make my own broth for soups. If I don’t have a homemade broth on hand (which I often don’t), I simply use water, add a little sea salt and a bay leaf. It’s the perfect hack for no broth.
This lentil soup is loaded with vegetables and packs a nutritional punch. Try it, it’s good!
Naturally gluten free, grain free, dairy free, vegan/plant-based.
If you like soup, try my 5 minute Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup, or my amazing Roasted Carrot Soup
Here’s a list of some more soups:
Anti-inflammatory Cabbage Soup
Sheet Pan Butternut Squash Soup
Broccoli Soup with Curry & Kale
Roasted Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup
Why make your own broth?
- Commercial broth is also usually full of unhealthy ingredients. Keep reading.
- Commercial broths often have MSG, hidden MSG (yeast extract), sodium, sugar, gluten,and pro-inflammatory seed oils.
- Here’s an example: Campbell’s Ready to Use Chicken Broth promotes all “natural ingredients” on their label. Yet the ingredient label reads: yeast extract (yeast extract is made in a lab, not found in nature, sugar (a highly refined substance) and canola or soybean oil (which are both highly refined, pro-inflammatory seed oils). Common ingredients? Yes. But far from “natural” in my opinion.
- Commercial broths are often very high in sodium. One cup of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup has 1780 mg of sodium. One cup is a pretty small serving. There’s no way one cup of soup is filling me up! If you weren’t aware, the top limit of sodium for people over the age of 14 is 2300 mg /day. So one tiny cup of canned soup gets you pretty close to that limit. Too much dietary sodium is a problem because it causes your body to retain fluid, which can drive up blood pressure.
- Commercial broths also often contain hidden gluten (barley malt extract).
- Homemade broth is super easy and very inexpensive to make at home.
How to Store Leftover Soup
Store leftovers in a glass container with a sealable lid. Keep in refrigerator for up to 7 days. Reheat in microwave.
This soup freezes well.
Easy Lentil Soup
Equipment
-
1 soup pot
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 celery diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes (798 mL) not drained
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 cups dried lentils
- 6 cups water or broth
- 1 bay leaf if you used water
- 1 tsp sea salt if you used water
- 1 cup spinach
Instructions
-
In a soup pot, over medium heat add a tbsp olive oil. Add carrots, onion, celery. Saute until softened.
-
Add minced garlic, curry powder and ground cumin. Stir for about a minute until fragrant.
-
Pour in the canned tomatoes, dried lentils, water or broth. Add sea salt and bay leaf if you used water (and not broth). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
-
Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.
-
Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! I’m Dr. Stephanie.
A doctor of chiropractic, with a special interest in nutrition. Food should be made in a kitchen not a factory. I believe in eating whole foods, keeping processed foods to a minimum. It is my goal to show you that eating healthy and cooking at home can be simple and very rewarding! All of my recipes are gluten-free.
