With this lentil soup I was so inspired by Greek flavors, so the oregano, lemon and tomatoes are dominant in the flavor! Thanks to the lentils, the soup is full of protein, fiber and combines the fragrant spices with the freshness of the lemon and vegetables.
Try my favorite lentil soup and find out how quick it really is to make! You'll only need a few ingredients you already have in your pantry and 30 minutes to make it. 🙂
We absolutely adore soups in our house and we love to prepare even more time consuming ones such as Goulash soup with celery noodles, Beef miso broth with barley and winter vegetables, which is absolutely perfect for the winter season, Delicate chicken soup with red rice or or Creamy navy bean soup with ham! These are absolutely great if I have time to prepare, but if I'm in a hurry and want to have lunch on the table as soon as possible, I'm going to go with this lentil soup!
Red lentils are an absolutely essential part of our diet! It's quick to prepare, rich in nutrients, wonderfully filling and loved by both my kids and us adults! In addition to being super quick to make, this soup is also super EASY. I don't have to weigh anything and all I need to measure it out is a small cup (I use a kid's one), a tomato can and a couple of spoons.
What lentils to use in a quick lentil and carrot soup?
This quick version of lentil soup is made with red lentils. Compared to the classic green or brown lentils, these lentils are smaller and thus have a finer texture and are cooked faster. I prefer to use a combination of peeled and unpeeled red lentils in this soup. Why?
Peeled red lentils are cooked very quickly but have a mushy consistency. That's why I like to also use the tiny unpeeled red lentils. They have a slightly nutty taste and are almost as quickly cooked as the peeled one. Besides, they're also great in salads where they add lots of protein!
If you would love to know more about red lentils, I cover this topic in THIS ARTICLE.
How to make red lentil and carrot soup?
For this soup, we only need one big pot! Add a few tablespoons of olive oil in the pot and let it heat up. Lard is also great in this soup, or if you happen to have that flavorful lard left over after rendering the bacon, this soup does absolutely great with that.
Put the diced onion, carrots and finely chopped garlic into the pot. Sauté the vegetables over a medium heat for just a few minutes to soften the onions. The vegetables need to be stirred frequently as the carrots and garlic burn easily.
While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the spices. Add the cumin, oregano, chilli, ground pepper, bay leaf and salt to a small bowl. Whenever I use multiple spices in my cooking, like in this soup, I prefer to prepare the spices separately in a bowl. Because finely ground spices burn very quickly, and I often noticed that by the time I found the last one I needed among all my spices, the first one was already burnt. If I prepare it separately in a bowl first, I can be sure that none will burn!
Add all the spices at once to the sautéed vegetables, stir and add a cup each of peeled and unpeeled red lentils. Stir to coat the lentils with oil and spices and add a can of diced tomatoes. The can of tomatoes now works great for me as a measuring cup for water or broth. So I add 4 cans of water to the pot, or with a bouillon cube. Cover the pot with a lid and cook over low heat for 25-30 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
Serve the lentil soup with chopped parsley on top and fresh sourdough bread alongside. It is best just cooked, so eat right away!
Videorecept:
TIPS:
- in the summer months you can also add diced zucchini or eggplant, just roast them along with carrots and onions!
- instead of oregano, you can also use another herb or a mixture of spices - thyme, basil or Provençal blend are excellent
- you can also use finely chopped sundried tomatoes to the soup base
- you can also enhance the Greek flavors in the soup by sprinkling crumbled feta cheese on top
Recipe
Recipe 4-6 servings
Red lentil and carrot soup
Ingredients:
- 1 small cup (180 g) peeled red lentils
- 1 small cup (180 g) red lentils unpeeled
- 2 big carrots, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 large bay leaf
- pinch of chilli
- salt
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 4 cans (from tomatoes) of water or broth (approx. 1,7 l)
- olive oil for frying
- zest and juice of ½ lemon
- parsley for garnish
Instructions:
- In a large pot, sauté the diced carrots, onion and garlic in hot oil. Just a few minutes to make the onions soften.
- Add all the spices to the sautéed vegetables - cumin, oregano, bay leaf, chilli powder, ground pepper and salt and stir.
- Finally, add the red lentils (peeled or unpeeled), the tin of diced tomatoes and pour in the stock or water.
- Simmer the soup for approximately 25-30 minutes until the lentils are soft and add salt or additional water as needed.
- Finally, finely grate the lemon zest into the soup and stir in the lemon juice.
- Serve with chopped parsley and some freshly made sourdough bread.
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