Hearty Lentil & Vegetable Soup
By Dustin Arnold
A one-pot soup with green lentils, root vegetables, and lots of garlic. Thickens as it sits — even better the next day.
- Prep:
- 15 min
- Cook:
- 40 min
- Total:
- 55 min
- Servings:
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion (diced)
- 2 carrots (diced)
- 2 ribs celery (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz) (fire-roasted if possible)
- 1 1/2 cups green or French lentils (rinsed)
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups baby spinach or chopped kale
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- sea salt and black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
-
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook 7–8 minutes until softened.
-
Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and thyme. Stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
-
Add diced tomatoes (with juices), lentils, broth, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
-
Cover partially and cook 30–35 minutes, until lentils are tender but not mushy.
-
Remove bay leaves. Stir in the greens and cook 2 minutes more until wilted.
-
Off the heat, stir in lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Serve with crusty whole-grain bread and a drizzle of good olive oil on top.