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.
I haven’t made soup in a long time and this one looks like a keeper. I heart lentils!
any guess on the nutrional info for this soup? It looks so wonderful! I am on weight watchers and I need to enter fat, fiber, carbs and protein,,,
Hey Jen! If you visit the original recipe that I adapted (I linked to it in the recipe), it gives nutritional info. It wont be the same b/c I changed it (decreased oil and omitted chickpea part), so I guess the calories/fat/protein would be lower.
I’ve always liked lentils, but every time I try to make them it turns into a disaster. This recipe is lovely! This soup is so warm, creamy and delicious! (I doubled the carrots, celery and garlic, and think I would add even more carrots and celery next time…I like my soups extra hearty!)
Hi Angela! Would this work the same to use 1 cup uncooked black beans instead of lentils? I wonder if I would need to soak them overnight first. Thanks! :)
I don’t think black beans would work in this recipe as it would throw off the flavour and texture
I love this soup too!!! I have been making it for years – but the recipe I use includes Butternut Squash too – It is VERY good. Just cut the squash into chunks (no need to peel it!) and add when you add the lentils. You will have to let simmer about 15 minutes longer to ensure the squash is cooked through.
I make something like this all the time. It freezes well, and is tasty. (I’d add a bit of ginger and cayenne). I’ve also added a few roasted veggies as well — like sweet potatoes.
Just wanted to tell you that I made this soup today – it’s my new favorite!! And as you said, I’m upset that I didn’t double or even triple the recipe!! Thankfully it was SUPER easy to make. Think I’ll be making some more in a few days :D
I made the lentil soup last night and it is filling/tasty and oh so healthy.
Every morning when I first login, I visit your blog to see what you cooked up and posted. I look forward to it everyday!
Thank You!
Angela, I just started reading your blog. I love your recipes, especially this one! I tried it last night, and it turned out deliciously! I look forward to trying more of your recipes :)
Thanks Mel! Glad you enjoy the blog (and the curry recipe!) :)
I just had this soup for dinner. I followed the recipe to a T (I even used Arvinda’s Curry Masala, which I also love), except that I used red lentils instead of green. Fabulous, plus enough leftover for two more meals. Oh, and for dessert I had a Healthy Strawberry Oat Square (only I made them using cranberry homemade jam). Another amazing recipe.
PS I don’t know why you’d worry about the look of the soup because anything you photograph looks lovely in my opinion!
haha thanks Becca! Glad you enjoyed it…you are making me crave it again!
I made this soup Friday evening — it’s so delicious! I didn’t have any scallions so I substituted a red bell pepper instead, used half vegetable stock and half water, and I topped it with a dollop of fat-free Greek yogurt (the yogurt added a little something that made it creamy and tangy, which I loved!). All in all a most excellent recipe — thank you so much for sharing!
Great modifications! Thanks for sharing :)
I don’t own a blender. What does the soup like if I don’t blend it? There are so many recipes that calls for a blender. Wonder if I should invest in one or one of those handheld immersion one? I have tried 2 of your recipes so far. Coming from someone who doesn’t cook, it is pretty darn good :)
You could use a potatoe masher, probably just a little more of a workout!
Making this up right now!! It smells DELICIOUS! i know that it’ll just be amazingg with fresh, toasted bread dipped in :)
OMG it’s good!!! And the whole house smells amazing!
whohoo! :)
I’ve now made this soup twice and I adore it. Sooo good. Filling, comforting, healthy. And I love that it doesn’t require stock!
I love this soup.It so flavorful and perfect for a light dinner meal. I made it with a few modification and blogged it on my page. Thanks fore the recipe Angela!
This is a way late comment, but I love lentil soup of any stripe and have been thinking about making a curried lentil soup recently, then found your recipe. Lentil soup is ALWAYS homely! There is just no way around it, so we have to embrace it for what it is, as you suggest. Every time I make any kind of lentil soup I try to figure out how to make it prettier, give up, and just eat it. The eating part makes up for the homely part! (Although your lentil soup pics are actually lovely anyway!)
mmm totally agree!
I am new to lentils , I have the red variety sitting nervously in my cupboard , do you think I could use those in this recipe? To me it looks just like a yummy vegan soup and half sammy I had for lunch at a great little lakeside cafe just accross the boarder this afternoon.
Looks like a great soup and I love curry. Curiuos if I use red lentils, because that’s what I have, will that be ok or will it change the flavors too much?
I made this for my parents with wild brown rice and they loved it! I added turmeric, cumin, and some ginger. It was great! This awesome site is helping me incorporate more vegan recipes into my life and those I cook for! Thank you! ^^
I made this soup yesterday and I have to say that I thought it was missing something. I wasn’t sure what, so I added a little extra salt and it literally made it unedible. I had let the lentils cook for about 45 minutes before I blended half but they were still hard/firm once blended.
I figured instead of tossing the whole thing out, i should try to salvage it, I added a can of drained lentils and half a can of coconut milk. Omg. It’s good stuff.
Sorry to have negative feedback regarding the recipe- but I figure since most of the people posting are mostly commenting on the photos I’d give a suggestion for someone who may run into a similar situation I did.
Thanks for your feedback Lauren. I’m glad you were able to come up with something that pleased your own tastebuds!
It’s finally getting cold down here in San Diego so I decided to make the soup today. It came out delicious! I love how thick it is, I tend to enjoy thicker soups more and this one was delicious! I added a bunch of kale in the mix and garnished with a dollop of tahini.. :)
Have a great weekend Angela!
Im so happy you enjoyed it!
Made this soup this week and it was so-o-o good. Thanks!
I love this soup! It is now one of the staples (especially during the winter months) in my household. I do make one addition to the original recipe that I wanted to share: when the soup has about 5-10 minutes left to cook, I like to add a chopped up apple, preferably the tangy kind (e.g., gala, pink lady, fuji). Gives it a nice flavor, and adding the apples towards the end gives the soup a nice texture, without the apples being too mushy.
Was absolutely delicious!! I live where its cold and dark and will definitely make this again to warm the winter…GREAT recipe!!!
I made it today and it was delicious. My only change was the addition of a chopped potato and chopped coriander. I especially like the potato.
Last week we tried you spicy red lentil (with tomatoes) soup.
Thank you for all the great recipes – you have become my ‘go to’ site for what to eat.
Anne
I found a bag of green lentils in my kitchen drawer and decided to make something of them – though I’ve never cooked a lentil dish before. I was searching for a good recepie and came across this one. I could find all the ingredients from my kitchen and decided to try it ! Now I have a pot of lentil soup waiting for me on my stove and though I yet haven’t tasted it, I know that the smell is delicious ! :)
I luv your blog and food photos! Just getting started myself. Congrats!
This is on the stove right now cooking! Hope it turns out delicious!
BRAVO!! Thank you for the recipe, this was dinner tonight. And it was amazing! A crowd pleaser, my guest had theirs with basmati rice.
I doubled the recipe and used red lentils, I used 4 cups of my own vegetable stock with 3 cups of water, 7 cups liquid total; and I was left with quite a bit of liquid. Even the blender thickening trick didn’t seem to help much. I may try again with some coconut milk!
GOOOD EASY CLASSIC RECIPE
xx
Excellent recipe! I doubled the recipe and, after sautéing the vegetables, let it finish in the slow cooker. I also reduced the water/broth to make it thicker and more stew-like and didn’t puree. I love that it has such simple ingredients! Will definitely make again.
Minus 22 degrees celsius today and lunch doesn’t get much better with this soup. Instead of lemon juice I added the zest of a lemon and some fresh coriander with the green onions. The lemon zest was a good call.
This looks amazing! Cannot wait to try it :)
I love green lentils, they taste amazing in soup! Thanks for the great recipe – I cannot wait to try it :-)
Hope you enjoy it, Michelle!
It was DELICIOUS! The next day I added some water and pureed the soup some more to get a smoother consistency. Lentils soaked up much of the moisture!
I’ve made this recipe repeatedly over the years. It’s just a great soup and so easy to make. Yes, it is a bit homely in appearance but the taste just keeps you coming back for more. I pretty much follow the recipe as to proportions. I play around with the amount of lemon juice and the amount of curry depending on my (and my wife’s) mood. And yes, it tastes even better the second day, but you have to add a bit of water because the lentils continue to absorb water in the fridge. Thanks for the keeper!
Hey Francis, Thanks for sharing your feedback and tips! I’m so glad you and your wife love this soup. Sometimes the homeliest recipes are the best, right?