First off, thank you all so much for your excitement and congrats about our news! I really enjoyed reading your comments and stories. I’m also happy to hear my impending loss of sanity should only be temporary. Truthfully, I’m not sure that I ever got it back after our first!
Second of all, I’ve missed you dearly. I’ve missed blogging. I’ve missed posting recipes. I love sharing my favourite recipes and stories with you guys. Nothing makes me happier than creating something I adore and thinking about you trying it in your own kitchens! It feels so good to have more energy these days and also to wrap up some other massive projects.
Today’s recipe is most likely the last soup recipe I’ll post until next fall (*sad face*), but boy is it a great one to end on. As my dad likes to say, “It’s a humdinger!” Do you remember my Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup? Well, this soup reminds me a bit of that one, only it’s even better! Turmeric, coconut, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom create an incredibly healing and flavourful broth. I always say the test of a “vault-worthy” soup is whether you want to drink the broth on its own, and this one certainly fits the bill. A generous amount of turmeric makes it feel so healthy and powerful. Knowing that turmeric has so many anti-inflammatory benefits is always an added bonus, too!
My inspiration comes from a Whole Foods mason jar soup called “Spiced Lentil” that Eric picked up for me on a whim. Well, this soup blew me away. After glancing at the short ingredient list, I knew I could easily recreate it in my own kitchen. Or so I hoped! I scribbled down a recipe attempt and started cooking. The beauty of this soup is that it’s a “pantry” soup. I had every single ingredient on hand (and still do, which explains why I’ve been making it so much). The first batch turned out darn near perfect (actually, we liked my version more), and the second attempt was even better than the first. Poor Eric only got one bowl from the first batch. You gotta be quick around the pregnant lady! I’ll fight you.
If your weather is still cool, snowy, rainy, and dreary in early spring like it is here in Southern Ontario (we’re getting a snowstorm later today…*cries*), I hope you’ll enjoy this comforting soup. Even if it’s not cold where you are, I’d argue that breaking out into a light sweat while eating this is totally worth it!
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Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup
Yield
7 cups (1.65 litres)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This soup is so quick and easy because there aren’t many vegetables to chop (just garlic and onion—that’s it!) and it relies mostly on pantry staples. It takes 15 minutes prep time (that includes getting the ingredients out), and then it’s hands off while it cooks. Talk about easy! While this soup contains a lot of spices, it's not what I would call "spicy" or "hot". If you do want a kick of heat feel free to add some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Also, feel free to change up the baby spinach for other greens like stemmed kale or chard. This soup is inspired by Whole Foods.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (22.5 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups (280 grams) diced onion (1 medium/large)
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can full-fat coconut milk*
- 3/4 cup (140 grams) uncooked red lentils, rinsed and drained
- 3 1/2 cups (875 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste (for a kick of heat!)
- 1 (5-ounce/140-gram) package baby spinach
- 2 teaspoons (10 mL) fresh lime juice, or more to taste
Directions
- In a large pot, add the oil, onion, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt, stir, and sauté over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion softens.
- Stir in the turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom until combined. Continue cooking for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), entire can of coconut milk, red lentils, broth, salt, and plenty of pepper. Add red pepper flakes or cayenne, if desired, to taste. Stir to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a low boil.
- Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-high, and simmer, uncovered, for about 18 to 22 minutes, until the lentils are fluffy and tender.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach until wilted. Add the lime juice to taste. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Ladle into bowls and serve with toasted bread and lime wedges.
Tip:
- * I tried a version using light canned coconut milk and one using full-fat canned coconut milk, and I greatly prefer the full-fat coconut milk version (shocker, I know). I recommend following suit, but if all you have on hand is light canned coconut milk that’ll work in a pinch—it just won't be as rich and creamy.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Angela I just wanted to tell you how inspiring you are, I bought your new book and have made several of the recipes all amazing so far, everyone who has tried the flourless brownies and sweet potato coconut curry has loved them however those are just two of the many I have made and had people try. Thank you for your talent and sharing it with everyone you are amazing.
Aw, you’re too sweet, Tracy! Thank YOU for the warm comment. :)
I love this recipe !!!! Which cookbook is it in? I want to buy it for my best friend so she can try it out!
Hi Susan, I’m so glad you enjoy the soup! We love it too. :) It’s not in either of my cookbooks, though it can be found on my app (currently available on Apple devices only, but soon to be available for Android, too!).
Not being familiar Indian-typed flavors/spices, it took me some courage to make this soup. I’ve made it three times, twice for international folks, and once for American folks. All who’ve had this soup, including my wonderful husband, love this recipe. The time I made it for American folks, three people asked for the recipe, and one, who was sick at the time, said he instantly felt better after eating it, taking more home with him to continue mending from his cold. Thanks for this recipe, Angela!
I’ve made this recipes 3 times now on the recommendation of my sister. We love it, esp the creaminess of the coconut milk and the right combination of spices.
So happy to hear it, Alison!
This was one of the first of your recipes that I tried and it is delicious. A lot of dishes that we tried out from your blog and your cookbooks have become hits in my family.
Being from Europe I am used to measurements in liters (milli liters) for liquids and in grams (kilo grams) for solids. Even though I have been living in the US for the last 16 years I still find the guessing game bewildering to cut up solids in( how big or small? of) pieces to squeeze them into a little cup instead of just weighing the ingredient. So the first time I make a recipe I usually go through the trouble of measuring the american way but weighing all the ingredients on a scale that are more than just a Tbsp or tsp, or liquids I add up in ml. A lot of times I use the adding method by putting the bowl on the scale and resetting it to zero for every new ingredient.
So my request for future cookbooks would be: SI-unit ingredient lists
I know some of your recipes do have gram and liter measurements and I am always happy to find one!
Keep up the amazing work!
Eve
Hi Eve, I’m so happy to hear your family has been enjoying my recipes so far! :) I’m also pleased to be able to let you know that my second cookbook, Oh She Glows Every Day, does provide metric measurement equivalents (yay!). Thanks so much for your lovely comment.
Totally late to the party but I wanted to share that I made this soup last night for our lunches for the week, and my husband says it’s the best soup I’ve ever made. The flavours are so complex and beautiful, I’m just tickled with this recipe!
I’m really looking forward to picking up “…Every Day” (or maybe getting it from Santa!) and I’ve downloaded the app to compliment your original cookbook. Thank you so much for all you do!
Aw, thank YOU so much for the lovely comment and all your support, Katie! I hope you love the app, and that if Santa brings you my new cookbook, that you love it too.
Forever grateful for this delicious and extremely healthy soup! I made it tonight for the first time and I think it will be a weekly meal for my family. Thank you!
It’s always lovely to find a new mealtime staple! This recipe is definitely one in our house, too. :)
Thanks for yet another great recipe! I’ve been in a food slump and this definitely helped. Added carrots, celery, and swiss chard instead of spinach and it came out delicious.
Girl this soup is pure deliciousness!!!!!!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤
I tried this recipe last night and it was so delicious, such great flavors! Thanks so much for sharing it!
I love the sounds of this recipe but whenever I make lentils, they get mushy. Any recommendations regarding that?
Hey Ginny, Great question! Red lentils tend to break down and get mushy when cooked, which is why they’re great for thickening up soups and stews (so if those are the kind you’ve been using, not to worry — that’s supposed to happen!). But if you don’t like that mushier texture, you may prefer to use green or brown lentils, which hold their shape much better. I hope this helps!
I have made this a few times and it’s a hit. One time I didn’t have butternut squash so I just used more sweet potato, the next I didn’t have the lite coconut milk so I used the creamier one and it was fantastic. It’s so delicious that my vegan and non-vegan friends and family love it just the same. It’s truly delicious. I have loved everything I have made. I also wanted to comment on how fantastic the app is as well. Fantastic job making it easy to use and it’s beautiful. It’s my go to app for cooking.
Oh, I’m so happy to hear you’re loving the app! And, of course, the recipe. :) It’s great those subs worked out so well for you!
this recipe is absolutely amazing ! so easy, so quick and absolutely delicious !! the whole family loved it! can’t wait to make it again !!!! thank you !!! ❤️
Hey Brittni, so happy to hear this was a hit with everyone!!
Just finished my second bowl of your lentil soup, Oh my gosh! So delicious, I did add shredded rotisserie chicken to add some protein but stayed true to the recipe. I’m so glad this made a lot so I can more. Thanks again.
I’m torn….should I make this stew or your Golden French Lentil Stew from the book?! Which do you like more? Thanks!
Oh wow, I don’t know if I can even begin to choose a favourite! There’s always the eenie-meenie-miney-moe method? Haha. Whichever one you pick, I hope you love it! (And you can always try the other one another night.:))
I made this last night exactly as directed – it was incredible! It will now be in my regular meal rotation. Thanks!! :)
Happy to hear the soup was a hit, Angie!
Angela: That was heaven???. Even my husband, who normally isn’t a big fan of butternut squash, had 3(!) plates and was amazed!
I’m so happy you guys enjoyed the soup, Nina!!
Do you have any of the macro information on this (and all) recipes?
Thanks!
Hi Kristin, Unfortunately, I haven’t calculated that information for this recipe (though some of my older recipes do have nutritional information provided). There are great free online tools you can use to find out the nutritional data you’re looking for, though, such as nutritiondata.com or caloriecount.com, as well as free apps like MyFitnessPal. All you need to do is plug in the recipe and you should be able to quickly find out what you want to know! I hope this helps.
I love this blog, have the first cookbook and also the app. When this recipe came up on the app, I decided to try it. I’m going to be honest, it was fine but it wasn’t amazing like so many other OSG recipes.
I followed the recipe to a T but both my Indian partner and I felt the turmeric flavour was too strong. Perhaps I needed to cook it longer, exposed to direct heat? Excessive or uncooked turmeric has a very distinct flavour that I am now sensitive to after having cooked and consumed lots of Indian food.
Also, due to the spices included in the recipe, for some reason I expected the flavor profile to be stronger, more like an Indian dish so was a bit disappointed that the spices were lighter but that being said, the flavours were all balanced and the soup would be very suitable for someone looking for something on a more Western level of spice, than Eastern.
Both of us felt virtuous eating the soup and whether we liked the turmeric flavor or not, we were both happy to ingest it for its many health benefits.
Absolutely delicious. Used dried split red lentil and a fresh diced jalapeño. Yum yum yum