Go Back
Bowl of creamy lentil soup garnished with parsley and a lemon wedge

Creamy Lentil Soup

A one pot lentil soup that gets its thick, creamy texture from blending half the pot, with no cream added.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Dinner, Soup
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 245
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp 30 ml olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced small
  • 2 medium carrots diced small (about 1 cup / 130 g)
  • 2 celery stalks diced small (about 1 cup / 100 g)
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
  • 1 1/2 cups 300 g red lentils, rinsed and picked over
  • 1 can 14.5 oz / 411 g diced tomatoes
  • 6 cups 1.4 L low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp salt plus more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Juice of 1 lemon about 2 tbsp / 30 ml
  • 1/4 cup 10 g fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

Method
 

  1. Sweat onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil over medium heat, about 6 minutes.
  2. Add garlic and spices, toast 30 to 45 seconds.
  3. Stir in lentils, tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf.
  4. Simmer uncovered 18 to 20 minutes until the lentils soften.
  5. Remove the bay leaf, blend half the soup, and stir it back in.
  6. Stir in lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper.
  7. Rest 5 minutes, top with herbs, and serve.

Notes

Swap red lentils for yellow split peas if that's what's on hand; both blend smoothly.
Simmer time runs closer to 35 minutes if using green or brown lentils instead of red.
Rinse the lentils well before cooking to avoid a gritty finished texture.
Storage Notes:
Refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Freeze in portions up to 3 months, leaving headroom for expansion.
Reheat with a splash of broth to loosen the texture back up.