I’m glad that you guys are excited about the thumbnail feature! I am such a visual person with recipes and I need to see pictures whenever possible. I finished inserting all the thumbnails and links last night so things are looking quite good on the Recipes page now. I didn’t even die from boredom like I thought I would. Check out the sea of Vegan overnight oat parfaits under the Breakfast section. Mmm.
I have procrastinated talking about this soup for a week now and I’m not sure why. It’s not that I didn’t like this soup- in fact, I love this soup and I have made it 3 times already- but it is just a bit homely looking and may instill fear in those who first see it (my husband).
But regardless, this is damn good comfort food. It even got the seal of approval from Eric, a former non-curry lover.
The good news is, OSG is a safe place for homely looking soups. There will be no judgment, only acceptance with open arms…
And a bell jar and cute bow for good measure.
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Curried Lentil Soup
Ultra thick, stick-to-your-bones, and spicy, this protein-packed comfort soup will warm you on even the coldest day. It also makes a great post-workout meal. Be sure to add in the curry slowly and adjust to taste as curry powders vary in flavour and heat.
Adapted from Bon Appetit.
Yield: ~4-5 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1.5 cups chopped onion (approx 1 medium onion)
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped (optional)
- 1.5-2 tablespoons curry powder (I used Arvinda’s)
- 1 cup uncooked green lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste (I think I used 1/2 tsp?)
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion, optional celery, and carrot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or so.
2. Add finely chopped garlic and stir until vegetables are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes longer. Reduce heat if necessary to avoid burning.
3. Add curry powder. I started with 1.5 tablespoons. Now, add the rinsed uncooked lentils and 4 cups water. Season with a sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper, add in lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
4. When lentils are tender, I poured about half of the soup into my blender and I blended the soup for a minute. I did this to create a very thick texture. After blending, stir the soup back into the skillet/pot and you will have a very thick soup with some chunky pieces left from the soup you did not process.
5. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional curry powder, if desired. Sprinkle with thinly sliced green onions and serve with lemon wedges.
Makes about 4-5 cups.
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The first time I made this soup, I made a mistake and cooked the lentils beforehand. When I added in the 4 cups of water and cooked lentils, it was a huge mess because there was nothing to soak up the water. Please do not repeat my mistake. I still have a huge container of watery soup in my fridge and I’m not sure what to do with it…
The beauty of this soup is that you don’t cook the lentils beforehand, not only saving you a step, but also making sure there is something to soak up the 4 cups of water you will put into the pot!
It all makes perfect sense to me now.
Chop your onion, carrot, 2 garlic cloves, and celery stalk.
Gather 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and your desired curry powder.
I love Arvinda’s Curry Masala.
Sauté everything in a very large skillet or pot for about 10 minutes.
It will look nice and translucent when it is ready.
Stir in the curry powder…
FYI- The rest of the pictures below were taken in my light box at nighttime. (Post is coming on the light box!)
Be sure to add in the curry slowly and adjust to taste as curry powders vary in flavour and heat.
Add in the rinsed lentils and 4 cups of water.
Stir well. You may think you did something wrong at this point, but don’t worry because the lentils will soak up the water as they cook!
Bring to a boil and simmer on low-medium for 30 minutes or so until the lentils are tender.
I poured half of the mixture into my blender and pureed half of the soup. This is optional, but it creates a beautiful thick soup.
Add it back into the skillet and stir…
Initially, I wasn’t happy with the light box pictures, but Eric adjusted the top light last night and it seemed to help. I will be doing a post on the light box soon though. I’m just trying to play around with it a bit more before I give my thoughts on it.
Thick and lovely.
Garnish with some green onions and serve with lemon wedges.
Every time I make it, I curse myself for not doubling the batch. It goes fast!
This weekend, we enjoyed a bowl of this soup for lunch after coming in from shoveling snow. We were sweating by the time we finished our bowls. Smoothies ensued.
Store leftovers in a jar in the fridge. Add a bow if you think it looks a bit sad.
Just make sure to hide it from others… They will act like it looks homely, but secretly, they just want to eat it all.








Yum. I <3 lentils. But I agree they are hard to make look very glamourous. I think you did a great job! Can't wait to learn more about the lightbox!
I love lentil soup! And it never seems to be pretty :) This recipe looks great — love curry. My husband made me a photo light box for Christmas. What a change in photos! I work full-time so most of my pictures food pix are taken at night. It’s helped immensely!
Sounds like a wonderfully warm and comforting soup.
The picture with the green onions & carrots on top is actually quite non-homely looking. And I like how you dressed it up in the jar & bow.
Your lightbox sure is providing great lighting for those photos.
Looking forward to your post on the lightbox.
Lentils don’t have to be pretentious or flamboyant, they are awesome and taste great!
When I want pretty I buy shoes! ;)
Besides, you made this lentil soup look lovely. ;)
love curry, love lentils, love veggies! Yay soup!
oh my, this looks amazing!!! I have a big bag of lentils just waiting to be curried :-)
The soup sounds delicious – and it looks good too! I can’t wait to try it!
i’m making this today as i have a bag of lentils sitting around!!! i usually boil it before hand and had never had problems?? but i will try it this way too. sounds like it will save me some time.
I’ll definitely be needing this recipe once the cold weather rears its ugly head again. I’m always looking for tasty, “stick to you bones” soups- a bonus when curry’s involved :)
It is so funn you said your husband was afraid of the soup. Last night I made Green Pea Lentil soup and my husband sat down and said… “it’s green.” and then proceeded to close his eyes for the first 10 bites.
Great light box pics, Angela!
This is similar to dhal? I was talking with friends yesterday how fantastic lentils are (and how underused they are in western cooking) How you done curried lentil/dhal fritters? They are very yum!
No I havent but they sound fantastic!
You sure have been on a curry run. I don’t mind it at all!
I have defintiely made the mistake of doing the opposite. I don’t cook the grains/beans beforehand when I was supposed to, so I get cooked meat and vegetables and raw grains.
Wow the light box takes incredible pictures!
Your blog is perfect for me while seeking my inner glow! This recipe looks just amazing~MMMMM!
Haha, Angela I can honestly tell you that I’ve never seen you make a single dish that looks homely- this soup included! :) I love pureeing half the soup- I used the same method when I made black bean burgers last night.
I have a bag of lentils that I have to use up and homely or not this soup is probably going to be dinner tonight. hahaha
Thanks again for updating your recipe page! I love the thumbnails. I also can’t wait for your light box post :)
I am on bended knee for lentil soup. This with the kick of curry I am way past HEAVEN! Thanks for the freaking delicious recipe doll!!
xxoo
PS. I bet cauliflower would rock in this as well!
I love lentils and I love curry so this sounds amazing. I need to make a list of all of your curry recipes!! It seems like a warming, soothing stew for those cold winter days.
The soup looks great. The recipe looks delish and the result looks thick and comforting and perfect.
The light box. Yes, cannot wait for your thoughts. You are the Photography Queen of Amazing Photos so YOUR opinion on it will really matter.
I will be interested to hear if you think lighbox photos at night can compare with broad daylight/natural lighting daylight photos. Almost NONE of my cooking is done when the light is good, or even present…so I am tempted to make a lightbox too. Can’t hurt, right?
Can’t wait for your review!
:)