This is the kind of soup with broth that tastes just as good, if not better, than the actual add-ins. Is it normal to want to guzzle the broth? Well, it is now, my friends. It’s actually a miracle I have any taste buds left because I’ve burned my tongue so many times since dedicating the last two weeks for cookbook soup makin’. After concocting 6 different soups and stews my freezer is very happy. Just don’t open it because you’re likely to get pummeled in the face by glass Tupperware. I was never one for patience and organization, but I can make a mean soup.
Chili powder, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper create a downright irresistible flavourful broth bursting with nutrition. I tell ya, it’ll clear your nose in no time. Have tissue nearby! While it does contain a medley of spices, I wouldn’t say it’s overly “spicy”, unless of course you go crazy with the cayenne pepper. I just added a bit of each spice at a time and tasted, adjusted, tasted, adjusted. That’s the beauty of soup – the recipe is never set in stone. Go wild.
Since most vegetable soups don’t hold me over very long, I added a cup of red lentils to amp up the protein (and fibre). Red lentils are one of my favourite ingredients to add into basic soups! They take a mere 15 minutes to cook and it’s all made in one pot. No pre-cooking. No soaking. They also “fluff up” (technical term) and add a lot of body to the broth. This soup went from having almost no protein to over 10 grams per serving. Add a hunk of bread/crackers + piece of fruit and you have yourself a nice little meal to enjoy with loved ones.
Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup
Yield
6 cups (1.4 L)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A flavourful, quick-to-prepare vegetable soup amped up with protein and fibre-packed red lentils. It's so good you'll want to drink the broth!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika, to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 5 to 6 cups (1.25 to 1.5L) low-sodium vegetable broth, as needed
- 1 cup uncooked red lentils, rinsed and drained
- Fine grain sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 handfuls destemmed and chopped kale leaves or baby spinach
Directions
- In a large pot, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Add in the celery and sauté for a few minutes more.
- Stir in the bay leaf and the spices (cumin, chili powder, coriander, paprika, cayenne).
- Stir in the can of tomatoes (including the juice), broth, and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and then simmer, uncovered, for about 20 to 25 minutes, until lentils are tender and fluffy.
- Stir in kale or spinach and cook until just wilted. Serve and enjoy! The cooled soup can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days, or you can freeze it in a freezer-safe container (leave 1-inch at the top for expansion) for 1 to 2 months.
Tip:
- * This soup is even more satisfying when served with a hunk of toasted bread.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)…and in the words of Stephanie Tanner, whoa baby!
Was looking for a spicy vegetable soup recipe and remembered this amazing one. I omitted the lentils and just added more vegetables (cure for a cold…). Lovely!
I love this recipe! I’ve made this twice now and yesterday, I substituted anise for celery and used green lentils instead of red split pea. Because I had time, I sauteed the onions and veggies on medium low heat (until all veggies were clear and translucent) and this allowed more juices to come out. I even added a splash of white wine! I then took my chances and used just water (instead of vegetable broth). It was bursting with flavors and sooo delish! Thank you for your website and sharing your recipes!
After finding lentils for the health & protein factor, it’s been hard to make something that’s actually good. This recipe is phenomenal, really glad to see something healthy & delicious. Thanks poster.
Great recipe! Made it on Sunday and it was AMAZING! Thanks for the idea!
I kind of put my own spin on things…I doubled the garlic, tomatoes, and kale. I also subbed out the lentils and instead added a can of garbanzo beans and a can of corn. Delicious!
This was a huge hit at dinner tonight!!! Thanks for the recipe. It will definitely be going the family recipe book!
I’m currently eating this with a side of your detox salad. SO good! I’m starting to eat nutritarian and your recipes are going to make it much more tasty. Thank you!
Just wanted to chime in and say thanks for this recipe and for your site in general! I’m just starting back down the vegetarian route (have done that off and on, but really think it’s better for my health) and am trying to move towards vegan as much as possible as quickly as possible. It’s a bit of a battle b/c I didn’t grow up loving veggies so am still learning. This soup was wonderful though – no problem getting that spinach down! (Oh and btw, your Blueberry-Banana Green Monster smoothie rocks too!)
I am so glad I found this recipe. I made it tonight for my family and it was delicious. I added a potato and some pasta to make it more kid friendly (well — friendly to MY kids anyway!). This one is a keeper! Thank you.
This looks so good and healthy, too. Of all the soups I’ve pinned recently on Pinterest, I think this is the one I’m going to make next!
I’ve got a pot of this soup on, this very minute. It’s the first time, for making this, but, if it tastes anything like it smells, I’ll be making a second pot, soon!
I just made this, and it’s AMAZING!
I bookmarked this page. This is one of my go-to soups that my kids actually request. Thanks for the recipe!
I tried the recipe and it’s was delish,
Hi Angela,
Wonderful recipe – lentils and greens go so well indeed! And love that you used coconut oil! And I love your blog – it is so awesome! Do visit my blog http://indusinternationalkitchen.com when you get a chance. I have a lot of ‘south Indian’ recipes with coconut and coconut oil.
Best, Indu
Working on my second batch of this recipe. It’s a keeper! Your my fav! Keep em coming!
I just made this, and it was delicious. However, I did make some alterations. First, I wasn’t sure what the purpose of the chili powder was, since it is mostly a mixture of seasonings that are already in the recipe (cumin, garlic, and paprika — only new item was oregano), so I just added more of the other seasonings. Also, I shredded carrot with a vegetable peeler to make long, thin strips and added them to the soup with the kale. They gave the soup a nice crunch and added some color.
I just made and ate this, Holy Crap-A-Moly it was so good!
This soup is wonderful! I made it on my second day of a 21 day Daniel Fast and I know it will become a long time favorite! Other friends are on the fast and I’m sharing this recipe with them!
I just made this soup & it is fabulous! I used 6 cups of veg broth & I was generous with the spices. The flavours just explode in your mouth!
I’m without pots this week, so I’m making this in the crockpot. Do you think that will be okay?
Thanks!
I can’t see why not! I would just cook it longer until the lentils are nice and soft.
I featured your recipe on my Vegetarian / Krishna conscious eating blog page to help spread the word about ohsheglows.com! Check out my post here: http://discoveryourselfinyoga.blogspot.com/p/vegetarian-recipes.html
FLAVOR TOWN!!! WOW – this is super yummy…I opted for the greater amount of cayenne and OH BABY! I also garnished it with fresh avocado to cut some of the heat…this is officially in my recipe box!!
Just made this soup tonight and I am in love!! Delicious!
Trying this one today! I hope I can make it worthy.
Made your spicy lentil soup tonight….all love it with some broiled up pita breads to soak up the soup! So Yummy!
Noreen
I just made this soup and I had to share how DELICIOUS it is!!!!!! I was a bit scared of the ingredient combinations, but I think it’s probably the best soup I’ve ever had and that’s saying something! YUMMMM!
I just made this tonight and it was fabulous! I added some sweet red peppers and topped each bowl with a squeeze of lime. The lime added just a touch of acidity which made this dish the perfect combination of savory and delicious. Thank you!!
This looks delicious! I’m having families over for dinner tonight and would like to make this soup. Unfortunately, due to allergy issues, do you think I could substitute brown rice for the lentils? And I don’t have smoked paprika. How much regular paprika would be appropriate? Thanks!
Loved the soup, made it thick though as I added 1 lb of lentils versus 1 cup, oops. Still it was delicious and a lentil stew that I will happily eat all week. Yum
Does this freeze well? I have made a huge pot and don’t want any to go to waste! I have kept the Kale separate…
yes you can certainly freeze this soup! enjoy :)
This looks so good, may I sub regular lentils instead of the red lentils with the same flavor content?
Could I use green lentils instead of red lentils in this recipe?!
I have never been a vegan, nor have I ever made soup. Today was my first day of both, and this soup was delicious! I had to use what was on hand, so I replaced some of the spices with turmeric and chili flakes, and it was lovely. Thanks for this quick and easy recipe, and greetings from a fan in the UK!
I’ve made this with green and red lentils and it is so yummy! But I use 1/2 the chili powder. I also use chicken broth. And more kale! Love it
This soup is amazing. Wonderful flavor. No salt or pepper needed! :)
Hi — this was delicious, although I’ve used olive oil both times simply because I don’t use coconut oil that often and don’t keep any on hand. I suspect that this will change now that we’ve tried this soup! Also, my kids aren’t big on canned tomatoes (I think it’s the texture), so I pureed them this time and it got an even better reception the second time.
this is absolutely my favourite soup ever – hands down
This is one of my favorite recipes, I cook it for friends and family, when I’m sick or just when I want something delicious.
This was absolutely amazing soup. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful recipes and making it possible to eat healthy and delicious food. Discovering your site was one of the best things about being a vegan. I will be buying your cookbook!
Just finished making this and it is delish! I added extra spinach, chopped mushrooms, and fresh lime juice. It is quick and easy, and I will make again!!
Waaaaaay too much cumin. Holy cumin Batman! Just made this.
Just cooked this. Added some carrots and potatoes. Tastes gorgeous although mine did not come out as pretty as yours looool.
This looks amazing!! I’m a university student without a stove so I’m wondering if this could be made in a slow cooker?
Love this soup! It actually reminds me of kale Portuguese soup, which usually has chourico or linguica (types of Portuguese sausage that are extremely popular where I live) to get that smoky flavor. The smoked paprika gives it that “sausage” taste but with no meat. Second time making it and it already smells and tastes delicious. Thanks for this recipe, it’s become a new favorite!
Made this today for lunch and it was fantastic!
It worked out perfectly for me as it helped get rid of a few extra veggies I had laying around that needed to get eaten! Don’t you love when that happens?
This will mark the forth recipe of OSG’s I have made – and the forth big thumbs up!
I wish I’d discovered this website a year ago when I first went vegan, but I’m really thankful to have it saved in favourites now!
Cheers Angela
This was delicious! I used 4 cups vegetable broth and 2 cups coconut water. I can’t wait to make it again.
Absolutely amazing! I added white beans and a little hot sauce – and I cannot rave about this enough. My family was very impressed when I made it on a rainy day; it was the perfect meal to spice up a dreary October night.
Thanks so much for this recipe, it’s sure to be a staple in my home.
I loved this soup. Thank you so much for the great blog and the amazing book.
Just made it and it excellent. I started off with half the spices but it really needs the full listed spice amount. My young daughter loves it!
Oh my gosh this is my FAVORITE soup ever! I bought your cookbook last spring and I have been making this soup every week ever since. Best. Soup. Ever. Thank you for making such delicious, easy, and simple vegan recipes. You’ve made my life better. :)