Easy Lentil Soup Recipe

If you are anything like us, you are always on a mission to eat healthier and somehow master meal prepping for busy weeks. Enter: lentils. According to Healthline, lentils are a great source of plant-based protein and fiber, and are an ideal legume to throw into soup.

Recipe developer and health coach Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for easy lentil soup. Hahn raves about this soup, saying "this is one of my favorite soups that I make frequently!" She recommends serving this soup for lunch or dinner. "For lunch, I will usually just have this soup on its own with some bread or crackers," she explains. "For dinner, I usually make a big green salad with lots of raw veggies. Also great with any type of meat or tofu."

Hahn tells us about one of the major perks of this soup, which is how well it stores. "You can store it in a sealed container and it will last up to a week. If you want to freeze some, I suggest using 32-ounce mason jars," she explains. "You need to let the soup cool and leave 2 inches of space at the top of the jar before freezing. Then just pull it out the night before you want to serve it and place it in the fridge to defrost." Talk about the best meal prepped option ever. Healthy, delicious, and doesn't diminish in taste when frozen? We are in!

To make this easy lentil soup, you can start by gathering your ingredients. For this recipe, you will need an onion, garlic, carrots, oil, brown lentils, fire roasted tomatoes, vegetable broth, cumin, curry powder, thyme, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, spinach, and lemon juice. "Since curry powder is a blend of turmeric, cumin, ginger, pepper, coriander and cinnamon it has a rich, savory flavor with a hint of spice from the cinnamon," Hahn explains. "I love that it is a premade blend with the perfect proportions to make seasoning this soup simple. I add more cumin in addition to the curry powder to make that the strongest spice."

In a large pot over medium high heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add in the chopped onion, minced garlic, and chopped carrots. Sauté these veggies around for about 8 minutes. If the pan gets too dry, add a bit of water.

Add in the uncooked lentils, can of fire roasted tomatoes, vegetable broth, and spices. Hahn points out that "you can substitute the brown lentils with green lentils when making this soup, but you can't substitute red lentils, as they will dissolve and not hold together." Red lentils cook down into a mashed texture ideal for dhal, but not great for this soup.

Bring the soup to a boil and then cover the pot with a lid and lower to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Using a spoon, scoop out a few lentils and give them a taste test. If they are done, add in the spinach and the lemon juice. If not, cook for a few more minutes. Continue to simmer until the spinach wilts down. Hahn recommends, "If you don't have spinach, you can use any greens you have on hand. Red swiss chard or kale both work well." As for the lemon, it really is a key component in making this soup so delicious. If you don't have a lemon, you can use a lime, but this acid component is really important to bring out all of the flavors!