Vegetable Lentil Soup

Warm-up this winter with a warm bowl of Vegetable Lentil Soup. This vegan-friendly soup will be sure to help meet your daily recommendations of veggies for the day!

Vegetable Lentil Soup in a white decorative bowl

Dare I say it’s actually starting to feel like winter here in New Jersey. Usually, in December I’m beginning to make my favorite soups, but this year was just so warm. I’m hoping I’m not jinxing myself and all of a sudden we are going to get a blizzard. If so, I do have this big batch of vegetable lentil soup to warm up with!

vegetable lentil soup in a decorative white bowl

One of my favorite things at work is teaching cooking classes. A few months ago I taught a class called “Soups and Stocks”. My goal for the class was to show how making soup at home can be simple, nutritious, and delicious. The biggest complaints I heard from customers is when they tried making it at home, their soups “tasted bland, watered down, and boring”. The key to a flavorful soup is the base: stock. Due to the process, Progresso’s chefs use to simmer the real bones, Progresso Cooking Stocks have rich, meaty flavor and are full of body, making them ideal for adding deep, complex flavor to many dishes including soups, stews, sauces, and gravies.

lentil soup in a decorative white bowl

What’s the difference between stock and broth?

The foundation of any great soup of stew is a flavorful broth or stock. Often the terms stock and broth are used interchangeably, but there are three important differences: ingredients, cook time, and seasoning.

Stock is made by simmering a combination of bones, mirepoix (carrots, celery, and onion), and aromatics in water for two to six hours. Gelatin from the bones is an essential part of the stock that is created when the connective tissue in meat breaks down, giving stock its body; the gelatin is what causes a stock to gel when chilled.

Broth is typically made by simmering meat, mirepoix, and aromatics for a shorter amount of time, typically between 1 and 2 hours. It is also often more heavily seasoned than stock.

Bone broth is a hybrid of broth and stock. It is cooked for a long period of time and the goal is not only to extract the gelatin from the bones (like in a stock), but also to release the nutritious compounds and minerals (namely collagen, but also glucosamine, amino acids, electrolytes, calcium, and more). 

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Vegetable Lentil Soup on a white wooden board

Vegetable Lentil Soup

  • Author: Chef Julie Harrington, RD
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 40
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Soup

Description

Warm up this winter with a warm bowl of Vegetable Lentil Soup. This vegan soup will be sure to help meet your daily recommendations of veggies for the day!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 (15 oz) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup green lentils
  • 1 (1 quart) box Progresso vegetable cooking stock
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups kale, ribs removed and chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, cook stirring often, until onion becomes tender and translucent.
  2. Add the garlic, cumin, and thyme. Cook until fragrant. Add fire roasted tomatoes and chickpeas.
  3. Add the lentils, then pour in Progresso vegetable cooking stock and water. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Bring soup to a boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
  4. Transfer 3 cups of soup into a blender or food processor (make sure to get an even mixture of veggies and broth). Puree mixture until smooth. Add pureed soup back into the pot and add kale. Cook until wilted.

Keywords: lentil, vegan, vegetarian, soup, plant-based

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Disclosure: By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Progresso and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

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