![Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup](/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/065A3820.jpg)
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!
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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.
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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](https://ohsheglows.com/gs_images/2016/04/20160124-App-Soups-02398-768x768.jpg)
Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup
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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
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I loved it, Husband loved it — will definitely make again. THANKS!
I made this with brown lentils because that is all I had at home when I felt inspired to try it. The soup was delicious and the family loved it. Very easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m glad it was a hit, Margaret!
This Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup is amazing and beautiful! I used fresh nettle leaves in lieu of the spinach because I had just picked up some at the farmers market, and I fixed some rice to have with it since the hubby likes a very hearty dish. Yum–a perfect recipe! Thank you for sharing! :)
Rediscovered your blog when I recently went fully vegan. Made this soup the day it was posted. Bookmarked, pinned, saved everywhere. SO GOOD
Welcome back, Lauren! Haha :) It’s awesome to hear the soup was a hit. I’m glad you like the recipe!
I made this soup for dinner last night and as advertised, it was easy, quick and VERY tasty! I didn’t have any cardamom on hand but I don’t think that made a difference. I’m not sure what I’m missing. :-)
Loved it! Make it for my boyfriend for a special lunch date :D We both really enjoyed it, and so quick and simple.
Aw, I’m so glad the soup was a hit on your date! <3
Hi Angela and Greetings from the UK. I was scrolling down the comments as I have been advised to avoid coconut milk and oil to see if anyone requested a substitution for coconut milk, I was pleased to read a question from ‘Jan’ asking for an alternative and you replied with a substitution (thanks for that as I can now make the soup recipe too).
I have a couple of further questions:-
Does your new cookbook book contain a lot of recipes using coconut oil or milks? Where these products appear do you have added notes of alternative suggestions to try?
Also, your app same question as above.
Good luck with your book release – thanks in advance for a reply.
Hi Nina, Yes the new book contains a fair amount of recipes calling for coconut oil and plant-based milk, however I’m not sure of the exact count. I don’t tend to provide substitutions for milk because I figure that you can use any kind you enjoy without much worry. For coconut oil, it’s essential in some desserts (such as a no bake fudge), but in cooking recipes it can be subbed for your preferred oil. Hope this helps!
Dear Angela,
I cooked the delicious Glowing Spiced Lentil soup last night and we all loved it. I am shining with your recipes among the meat-eater’s members of my family!!.
I cook mostly vegan meals from your recipes when it is my turn to cook and I am loving it !
Thank you !!
I am so happy to hear you all enjoyed the soup, Monica. I always try to make sure my recipes will be crowd-pleasers – for vegans, meat-eaters, and everyone in between! – and it’s so rewarding to hear when I’ve been successful. Thank you for the lovely comment!
This soup was fantastic! I cannot recommend it enough! It made plenty of soup to feed 3 hungry folks for dinner and I have lunch for 2 days. It had a wonderfully creamy texture with a nice tangy flavor. It feels so good to add turmeric for the inflammatory benefits. I added a tad of ginger to balance out the spices, but it isn’t needed. I think this is my favorite OSG recipe yet!
This looks so yummy! My mouth is watering!
i made this last night and my husband and i loved it! added 1/4 tsp chili flakes for extra heat. truly simple to make, a great combo of spices, warming and nourishing. another great recipe angela – you never disappoint! :-) xo
That tweak sounds delicious! So glad you and your husband enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for the lovely comment!
This soup is awesome! Actually, all of my favorite soups have come from this website or the OSG cookbook (African Peanut Stew anyone??). I am so thankful I found this site last year and I have become the lunch envy of the office several times from these recipes!
I added red pepper flakes to the dish and it’s a nice kick to compliment the spices. I had this for lunch today and ended up having several other spoons showing up at my desk for a taste test! The link to this soup definitely made its way around the office today.
I bet red pepper flakes would give this a GREAT kick, Michelle! And that’s hilarious about all those “taste testers” wandering by your desk – what a great story. Thanks for sharing!
This was so delicious! I typically don’t eat bread but would definitely buy some to soak this broth up! Next time I may add potatoes or brussels because I didn’t find that it was super packed-I was imagining it more stew like. the Lime is a perfect touch and I added fresh cilantro at the end! so good!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Sylvia! If you “beef”” it up a bit next time (haha, so to speak), I’d love to hear how it goes. :)
Made this soup the other day, really delicious and so simple to make. I didn’t have cardamon or cinnamon, I added some paprika and cayenne chilli powder. Really lovely, thanks for a great recipe, I’m sure to be making this again!
Yum – paprika and cayenne sound like delish additions! Glad you liked the recipe, Hazel.
Great soup that I will make again! Not quite as good as the 10 spice soup which I rate as 5 stars, but almost as good! (IMO)
Are lentils really gluten free??? So a warning! I loved the look of your soup and made a HUGE pot and gobbled it down! Delicious! Then 30 mins later I got my usual sign that I’ve eaten wheat. Massive stomach bloat and horrible stomach ache. I presumed that it must have been the stock…. So today I tried again! Another huge pot (3 times the recipe) and I put only Vegan wheat free stock in. I just tried a tsp of it. 30 mins later, same thing, in fact I still look 9 months pregnant. In the supermarket, i looked at the packets of red lentils and guess what…? “Not suitable for those with a wheat allergy due to the manufacturing process.” I feel betrayed by the supermarket! Red lentils with wheat???! Good job my partner can eat it all instead! But thought I would warn your readers!
Yum! Another wonderful recipe, so easy too! Thank you.
Being an east asian, i am a big lentil soup fan, have literally tried hundreds of variations but you just nailed it, thank you!
AWw, thanks so much, Rabia. I’m so happy you loved it!!
Have been waiting a whole week to make this since I read the recipe and it was well worth it! This soup is delicious! The whole family enjoyed it, including the kids. This is going to be an every week soup for awhile!
Hi there, I’m so happy to hear you guys enjoyed the recipe!! This soup’s so quick and convenient – it’s quickly become a new staple around here, too.
I made this recipe…very easy. The soup had an amazing taste. It may become my go to lentil soup recipe…great for a quick evening meal after a long day at work. Thanks.
So glad you enjoyed it, Pat! It’s definitely become a staple around here, too. :)