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Healthy and comforting lentil soup made with pantry staples, fresh greens, and warm spices, finished with lemon juice. Vegan, filling, and perfect for busy weeknights.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, lightly drained
  • 1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup chopped fresh collard greens or kale, tough ribs removed
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (½ to 1 medium lemon), to taste

Instructions

  1. Chop the onion and carrots; press or mince the garlic cloves; pick over and rinse the lentils; remove tough ribs and chop the greens.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until shimmering.
  3. Add chopped onion and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until onion softens and becomes translucent, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add garlic, ground cumin, curry powder, and dried thyme. Stir constantly and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then add diced tomatoes and cook a few minutes, stirring.
  5. Stir in rinsed lentils, vegetable broth, water, salt, red pepper flakes, and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, partially cover, and cook 25–30 minutes until lentils are tender but still hold their shape.
  6. Carefully ladle about 2 cups of the hot soup into a blender, cover with a towel, and purée until smooth; return blended soup to the pot (or use an immersion blender to purée part of the soup).
  7. Stir in chopped greens and cook 4–6 minutes until greens are tender and bright green.
  8. Remove pot from heat, stir in lemon juice, then taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, lemon juice, or red pepper flakes as desired.

Notes

Use brown or green lentils for best texture as they hold their shape., Pick over and rinse lentils to remove any debris., Cooking tomatoes with spices deepens flavor and reduces raw edge., Blending part of the soup creates a creamy texture without dairy., Blend less for chunkier texture, more for smoothness., Be careful when blending hot liquids: vent the blender lid slightly and cover with a towel., Add lemon juice at the end to brighten flavors., If soup thickens after refrigeration, thin with broth or water when reheating., To freeze: cool completely and freeze without lemon juice or fresh greens; add fresh when reheating., Can substitute curry powder with smoked paprika and ground coriander for smoky flavor., Red lentils can be used for quicker, creamier soup; reduce simmer time accordingly., Cooked grains like barley, farro, or quinoa can be added for extra heartiness., Optional non-vegan addition: brown sausage or pancetta with onions.

Nutrition

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