Whether you make this hearty vegetable red lentil soup on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or using the Instant Pot, you’ll end up with a delicious, comforting bowl of soup that even your pickiest eaters will devour!
You guys. This red lentil soup is amazing!
And it’s not because I made it OR because I love soup. Although both are true. It’s because it contains lentils and NOT ONE PERSON AT THE TABLE NOTICED!
Even my picky eater had two servings, and that my friends, is practically unheard of.
Yes, vegetable red lentil soup is in the running for my favorite soup of all time, especially paired with Instant Pot White Rice or Homemade Crostini.
Partly because it’s SO stinkin’ good, but also because of the aforementioned lentils.
RED LENTILS IN SOUP
Why do I love feeding my family red lentils in soup?
Feeding my family beans and legumes – without getting complaints in return – is a tall order. But I haven’t given up or anything. Cheesy Lentil Pasta is one of the kids’ favorites (probably because it tastes like a Mexican-style cheeseburger helper), and the two varieties of beans in Tortilla Soup go over well too.
But it’s a stalemate for most other recipes with beans. It’s not really that much fun to cook dinner and get questions at the table like:
- “Does it have beans?”
- “Is this a bean?”
- “Why are there so many beans?”
Knowing these questions would come, I used to dread cooking with beans. And then…
Red lentils entered my life, and the bean dread suddenly disappeared. Because this SUPER cool thing happens when you cook red lentils in soup: They disappear.
For real! When they’re fully cooked, red lentils sorta kinda disintegrate into the soup itself, leaving behind a creamy consistency, oh-so-tasty puree. And when you mix it up with fresh veggies, Homemade Chicken Stock, and a few simple herbs?
It becomes the tastiest bowl of goodness you could possibly imagine.
And no one even knows it has lentils!
VEGETABLE SOUP WITH RED LENTILS RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Ready to learn how to cook with red lentils in soup? Here’s what you need:
- Homemade Chicken Broth. This both cooks the red lentils and is the liquid for the soup. Use vegetable broth for a vegan red lentil soup.
- Red Lentils. Not to be confused with other types of lentils like green or brown lentils, which have different cooking times. Make sure to sort and rinse the lentils before cooking them.
- Garlic Cloves + Large Onion. I only used one clove of garlic for flavor here, but feel free to add more fresh garlic if you like it!
- Salt and Black Pepper. Dry beans and legumes really soak up the flavor as they cook, so don’t skimp on the amounts!
- Fresh Vegetables: bell pepper + carrots + celery
- Chopped Tomatoes. Or use one 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with juices.
- More Vegetables: mushrooms + green beans + fresh spinach
- Tomato Paste. You’ll only need 1 Tablespoon for this red lentils recipe, so freeze the rest using this tutorial.
- Spices: dried parsley + dried oregano + dried basil. I usually have dried herbs on hand but fresh herbs will work too.
- Rice. Optional for serving. I like Instant Pot White Rice here.
- Fresh Cilantro. Optional for serving, but I highly recommend it!
Note: Bob’s Red Mill red lentils are the most affordable, and they’re the best quality for the best price!
If you’re going to use salt, make sure it’s a good one like Ava Jane’s Kitchen that doesn’t have microplastics! You can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt right now (just pay shipping and handling!).
HOW TO MAKE RED LENTIL SOUP
Step 1. Combine chicken stock, lentils, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper in a large pot and bring to a boil.
Step 2. Meanwhile, start chopping the other vegetables and add them to the one pot as they’re ready: bell peppers, carrots, celery, tomatoes, mushrooms, green beans, and spinach.
Step 3. When the pot reaches a boil, reduce it to a simmer.
Step 4. Finish chopping all the vegetables and add them to the pot. Add the tomato paste and dried herbs and stir well. Cover the pot, stirring every 10-20 minutes or so until the lentils have broken down, 60-90 minutes.
Note: This is a thick soup, but there should be about ½″ liquid covering the vegetables at all times, so add additional stock as needed.
This, my friends, makes a big pot of soup. You’ll get leftovers for at least one or two lunches, but this red lentil soup recipe is PERFECT for hosting company.
STORAGE
Store leftover lentil soup with red lentils in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
VARIATIONS FOR SOUP RED LENTILS
As if the fact that YOU’RE FEEDING YOUR FAMILY LENTILS AND THEY’RE NOT COMPLAINING isn’t awesome enough as it is, this meal can be made in the slow cooker, Instant Pot, OR even frozen for a super-quick meal later on:
- Slow Cooker Version: Dump all of the soup red lentils ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the lentils are cooked through and very soft.
- Instant Pot Version: Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot, close the lid, and make sure the valve is set to seal. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release of at least 15 minutes (otherwise you may end up spraying lentil puree all over your kitchen!). The lentil texture should be soft.
- Freezer Meal Version: Dump all ingredients raw into a gallon-sized freezer-safe bag. Lay flat and press the air out. Freeze horizontally, then stack vertically to save freezer space. To prepare, dump contents into a large pot OR a slow cooker and cook according to directions.
TIPS FOR LENTIL SOUP WITH RED LENTILS
- Adding 2 cups of shredded chicken makes this a non-vegetarian meal (if you need to appease the meat and potato folks in the family), but my favorite version (and the most frugal option) is to serve the lentil soup with red lentils over hot rice. Using leftover cooked chicken keeps this a frugal recipe.
- If you don’t have all the vegetables in this recipe, no worries – substitute with whatever seasonal produce you happen to have on hand.
- Add zucchini if it’s summer
- Try butternut squash in the fall
- Add sweet potato in the winter
- Or throw in asparagus in the spring
- When you make the soup, prepare a double batch while you’re chopping so you have a quick and easy dinner later on! Then immediately add it to your recipe rotation. Yes, it’s that good!
- Red lentil soup turns out pretty smooth and creamy because of the long simmering time, but you can use an immersion blender to puree it to your desired consistency if you want it even smoother. Blend carefully because it will be hot.
TO SERVE RED LENTIL SOUP
Red lentil soup recipes are amazing when fresh out of the pot but somehow become super amazing the next day.
Serve this with:
- Hot rice
- Or try a different cooked grain, like barley or quinoa
- Pasta noodles
- As-is, with optional cilantro and a dash of lemon juice as garnish
- With salads on the side
Add some freshly baked bread with butter and you’ve got a meal. Try one of these:
RED LENTIL SOUP RECIPE FAQS
Do you have to cook lentils before adding them to soup?
There’s no need to cook the lentils when adding them to a soup. They cook in the broth and eventually fall apart into a creamy red lentil puree.
Is red lentil soup good for you?
Red lentil vegetable soup is very nutritious. Lentils are rich in fiber, folate, protein, and iron!
Do I need to soak the lentils for soup?
Nope! Lentils don’t require soaking as larger dried beans do, but you do need to sort them before cooking. That simply means checking to make sure there aren’t any wrinkled misshapen beans or stones mixed in. Give them a quick rinse and you’re set!
MORE HEARTY VEGETARIAN SOUP RECIPES
- The Best Minestrone Soup
- Homemade Tortilla Soup
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- Slow Cooker Mexican Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
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Red Lentil Vegetable Soup
Whether you make this hearty vegetable red lentil soup on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or using the Instant Pot, you’ll end up with a delicious, comforting bowl of soup that even your pickiest eaters will devour!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Soup & Salad
- Method: Stovetop Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 6 cups homemade chicken stock (1440g)
- 1 ¼ cup red lentils (285g)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced (3g)
- ½ large onion, minced (64g)
- 1 tsp salt (6g)
- 1 tsp pepper (3g)
- 1 large bell pepper, diced (114g)
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced (92g)
- 2 ribs celery, diced (76g)
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes (or one 15 oz can diced tomatoes with juices) (165g)
- 4 oz mushrooms, chopped (112g)
- 1 cup chopped green beans (125g)
- ½ bunch fresh spinach (125g)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste (14g)
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano (4g)
- 1 Tbsp dried basil (3g)
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 cups rice, prepared according to package directions (optional)
- ¼ cup cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Combine 5 cups stock, lentils, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper in a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, start chopping the other vegetables and add them to the pot as they’re ready.
- When the pot reaches a boil, reduce to a simmer.
- Finish chopping all the vegetables and add them to the pot. Add the tomato paste and dried herbs and cover the pot, stirring every 10-20 minutes or so until the lentils have broken down, 60-90 minutes.
- Serve with hot rice, pasta noodles or as-is, with optional cilantro as garnish.
Notes
- Slow Cooker Version: Dump all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the lentils are cooked through and very soft.
- Instant Pot Version: Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot, close the lid, and make sure the valve is set to seal. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release of at least 15 minutes (otherwise you may end up spraying lentil puree all over your kitchen!). The lentil texture should be soft.
- Freezer Meal Version: Dump all ingredients raw into a gallon-sized freezer-safe bag. Lay flat and press the air out. Freeze horizontally, then stack vertically to save freezer space. To prepare, dump contents into a large pot OR a slow cooker and cook according to directions.
- This is a thick soup, but there should be about ½″ liquid covering the vegetables at all times, so add additional stock as needed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 647
This is amazing!! I really enjoyed it. I added pearled barley which I love. Thank you for the wonderful recipes you share.
Oh my goodness this was a delicious surprise. I knew it would be good but WOW! The texture with the red lentils makes this almost creamy. I followed the recipe almost exactly _ to a serving bowl I added a scoop of quinoa instead of rice because my family does not enjoy rice (weird!)
I also cooked this soup in IP on the Soup Function for 3 minutes and quick release. The lentils were perfect as were all the veggies, in our opinion.
Homemade chicken stock is the best, I have used your method in the IP for years.
We will be making this soup on repeat– in the IP of course.
Thank you for a great recipe.
MMMMMmmm… my house smells like a really good restaurant right now!! Your soup is on my stove and its 30 minutes in on the simmer. I just tasted it and it’s perfect!!
I love this!!! I hope y’all like this as much as we do!
What about directions for the Instant Pot
I haven’t made this in the instant pot yet Stephanie, but if you do, please let us know how it turns out!
i was wondering how many servings does this yield and what is a serving size?
Hi Catherine! I’m awful at serving sizes, so here’s my best explanation: If each ladle was about 1/2 cup (ish), you could get 4 people dinner plus maybe another 2 servings. My standard rule of thumb is that if a soup calls for 4 cups of liquid, it’s enough for dinner for 4 & needs a side (bread/salad). If it calls for 8 cups of liquid, it’s a full dinner w/leftovers for lunch. 🙂
Do you have any suggestions for using red SPLIT lentils? That is all I could find.
I think that’s the same thing Morgan. They look like they’re split in the bag, so I’m thinking it’s just a different naming convention. My suggestion – make this soup! 🙂
It looks delicious! I’ve never seen red lentils here, but I’ll try it with regular lentils, which I love.
So is there a big difference in the red lentils vs other colors? I have some green/brown lentils that I use on occasion in soups. Assuming they would work as well. Sounds like a new soup to add to OUR rotation along with that famous man bread, lol!
Melissa, they’re slightly different. The red ones cook faster (15 min) and once they’re done, they break down into a puree. You can sub other lentils if you have them, but you might actually SEE them in the final soup rather than end up with a puree. But if your family doesn’t care, then go for it – this soup is awesome!
Okay! Thanks!
Which is why the slow-cooker option is really silly. This soup cooks up so fast, it’s ridiculous. The rice would take the longest. How to make this an even speedier dinner? Use rice you’d made (and doubled the amount you needed) the day or two before for another dish. Bam! Dinner in nearly an instant!
A perfect fall soup! I can’t wait to try this satisfying recipe!
I hope you enjoy it Sommer!
Made this for dinner tonight, so yummy! Thanks for the quick easy delicious ideas! I put it in instant pot, done in 15 minutes.
Your pictures look amazing! I love the suggestion of pairing with homemade bread. I love making bread but we’ve been trying to lay low on the carbs–having the soup with a little bit of bread seems like a nice trade off 🙂 I have some lentils in my pantry that I haven’t touched because I have never cooked with them before. Thanks for the great recipe. I will be trying it this weekend!
Thank you Crystal! This is a great intro recipe for lentils – enjoy!!!