Hearty Lentil Soup with Vegetables (Printer-Friendly)

A protein-rich bowl with seasonal vegetables and warming spices, ready in under an hour.

# What You Need:

→ Legumes

01 - 1 cup dried brown or green lentils, rinsed

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
07 - 1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
08 - 2 cups spinach or kale, chopped

→ Liquids

09 - 6 cups vegetable broth
10 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Spices and Seasonings

11 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
12 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Optional Garnish

16 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
17 - Lemon wedges for serving

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in ground cumin, smoked paprika, and dried thyme. Cook for 30 seconds to release essential oils.
04 - Add lentils, chopped tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Toss in the bay leaf and stir to combine.
05 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
06 - Add diced zucchini and simmer for another 10 minutes until lentils and vegetables are tender.
07 - Stir in spinach or kale and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted. Remove bay leaf.
08 - Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Adjust seasoning as needed.
09 - Ladle into bowls and serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's ready in under an hour but tastes like you've been simmering it all day.
  • You actually feel nourished afterward, not just full, because the protein from the lentils does real work in your body.
  • There's built-in flexibility to swap vegetables depending on what you have or what the season offers.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the lentils, it makes a noticeable difference in both texture and flavor, removing starch that can make the soup cloudy.
  • The greens go in last because if you add them too early they'll turn an unappealing color and lose all their character, so resist the urge to combine everything at once.
03 -
  • If you forget to season as you go and end up with something that tastes flat, it's usually salt you need, not more spices. Add it gradually and taste between additions.
  • For a creamier soup without dairy, blend half of it gently with an immersion blender after the zucchini is tender but before the greens go in, then fold the greens into the blended portion.
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