Serve up a bowl of comfort and nutrition all in one with this vegetable lentil soup. Fiber-rich brown lentils and a bounty of veggies will give you everything you need by the spoonful for a healthy start to dinner or a light lunch.
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Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Protein Packed: Lentils are jam-packed with fiber, making them a great option to help you feel fuller for longer.
- Healthy: With these all-star ingredients, you’ll be scooping up more nutrition with ease.
- Cozy: Settle in for soup season as the temperatures wind their way down from summer. You’ll enjoy bowlful after bowlful of comfort!
Add this recipe to your list of weekly favorites from Raepublic, along with these Easy Chickpea Burgers and Mediterranean Tomato and Cucumber Salad.
Nutrition For Mental Wellbeing
One cup of cooked lentils contains 40g of carbohydrates, 15.6g of fiber, 17.9g of protein, and 0.8g of fat. They are an excellent source of thiamine, folate, iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6. They are also a good source of niacin, magnesium, and potassium.
A cross-sectional population-based survey found that a higher intake of certain B vitamins could positively impact mental health. Biotin intake was associated with lower odds of stress, anxiety, and depression. Vitamin B6 was found to reduce the risk of stress. Moderate intake of pantothenic acid, niacin, and thiamine all reduced the odds of anxiety.
Ingredients + Notes
While this recipe does include a lot of ingredients, they’re easy to get. In fact, you might already have them ready to go in your kitchen right now.
- Vegetable Bouillon: Turn plain water into more flavorful broth with a plant-based bouillon.
- Tomatoes: Get the best health benefits from cooked tomatoes that blend into the background of the broth. Check out this resource to learn more about healthy fruits in red.
- Lentils: Filling lentils help make this soup a robust way to round out your meal.
- Rosemary: Rosemary infuses this soup with a fragrant, pine-like aroma.
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Variations + Substitutions
Missing something or not a fan of an ingredient? Let me give you some quick substitution options!
- Broth: You can use a veggie broth instead of bouillon and water.
- Greens: Switch up the spinach for kale.
- Lentils: If you don’t have brown lentils, any kind you have should do the trick.
- Lemon: Add a little lemon to give it a slightly lifted flavor profile.
- Herbs: You could try basil or bay leaves instead of rosemary and thyme.
- Spices: If you don’t like the strong flavors of cumin, you can try ground coriander. Also, you can easily swap turmeric for ginger.
How To Make Lentil Soup With Vegetables
Soon, you’ll be savoring this soup with your family! It only takes a few simple steps to make, and you can let it simmer along while you finish making the rest of your dinner.
- Add the minced garlic and diced onions to a large pot with 1/2 cup of water and cook until semi-translucent.
- Pour in 8 cups of water, vegetable bouillon, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, yellow summer squash, and lentils into the pot, and turn to medium-high heat to boil.
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- Stir in all the spices and herbs.
- Turn down to low heat and let simmer for 20 minutes (or until potatoes, lentils, and carrots are cooked through).
- Stir in the spinach towards the end of the 20-minute cooking time. It cooks quickly, and you don’t want to overcook it.
Servings Ideas
This lentil soup can be a filling meal, though it’s great with salads for a light lunch or as a nice starter for your main dishes. Here are some suggestions for pairing!
- Sides: Pair with a fresh green salad or Homemade Bread.
- Mains: Serve alongside Vegan Sloppy Joes or a Veggie Pizza.
- Desserts: Finish with a light dessert like Healthy Raspberry Sorbet or Watermelon Lime Popsicles.
- Drinks: Complement with Berry-Infused Water or Classic Lemon Water. For something cozy, try this Turmeric Latte Recipe.
Storage Tips
This hearty homemade lentil vegetable soup can be made in a big batch to enjoy throughout the week. Once it cools, put it in an airtight container and you can keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Making a big batch may be best if you want to freeze it, which will be good for up to 3 months.
FAQ
Honestly, you can add any vegetables that you have on hand to this lentil and vegetable soup recipe. I don’t like wasting food, especially veggies, so feel free to toss in any of your favorites.
Absolutely! They may each have slightly different textures, though. Green lentils may require longer to cook, while red lentils can become mushy, which is why those are often used in curries instead.
Spinach, Swiss chard, kale, and collards are a nice option when you want to put greens in your soups.
I have tried many different veggie bouillons and broths over the years to find the one that I thought was best. That being said, you can, of course, use a different brand, but it can impact the taste of the soup. If you choose to use a different brand of veggie broth or bouillon, I would suggest getting one with no added salt or at least low sodium. Regardless, taste the soup before adding any additional salt and adjust accordingly.
Another great option would be to use a homemade veggie broth recipe.
If you tried this Vegetable Lentil Soup Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 8 1/2 cups water + vegetable bouillon
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 14- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 6 carrots, thinly sliced
- 5 yellow potatoes, chopped into small cubes
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 2 cups uncooked brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/8 teaspoon thyme
- a handful of spinach, optional
Instructions
- Add the minced garlic and diced onions to a large pot with 1/2 cup of water and sautée until semi-translucent.
- Pour in 8 cups of water and add the vegetable bouillon, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, yellow summer squash, lentils, and all spices, and herbs into the pot and turn to boil.
- Once it starts to boil, turn down and let simmer for 20 minutes (or until potatoes, lentils, and carrots are cooked through).
- Towards the end of the 20-minute simmer time, stir in the spinach.
Video
Notes
What other vegetables could I add to this soup?
Honestly, you can add any vegetables that you have on hand to this lentils and vegetable soup recipe. I don’t like wasting food, especially veggies, so feel free to toss in any of your favorites. Can I use a different type of lentil?
Absolutely! They may each have slightly different textures, though. Green lentils may require longer to cook, while red lentils can become mushy, which is why those are often used in curries instead. Storage Tips
This hearty homemade lentil soup can be made in a big batch to enjoy throughout the week. Once it cools, put it in an airtight container and you can keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Making a big batch may be best if you want to freeze it, which will be good for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
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References
Mahdavifar, B., Hosseinzadeh, M., Salehi-Abargouei, A., Mirzaei, M., & Vafa, M. (2021). Dietary intake of B vitamins and their association with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms: A cross-sectional, population-based survey. Journal of affective disorders, 288, 92–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.055
I love the recipe of any soups but the lentil it’s my favorite.
Glad you like it!
Will do this tonight! Your style is epic nice ❤️
Thanks so much!
This soup is so filling and comforting. I will definitely make it again.
Yay! Glad you liked it.