This soup started with a recipe years and years ago, but over the years I’ve added so much to the soup and changed it so much it’s become my own.
This is pretty much the only meal I make that everyone in the house will eat without modifications (other than putting some frozen corn or peas to cool it down so they can eat it sooner).
I usually blend half the soup in the Vitamix. This time I thought I’d try an immersion blender… I wouldn’t do it again. The pieces of carrot get stuck in it. It’s best to do it in the blender. We did use the immersion blender afterward to get it even smoother, but you do need the regular blender first.
Scroll to the bottom of the post for the recipe.
Here’s what you’ll need. Generally I use 4 carrots, but these carrots were much thicker than the ones we usually get, so I just used 2. Sometimes I do 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks as well.
2 cups red lentils
I forgot to grab a photo of the broth going in and of the finished product… oops!
Vegan Red Lentil Soup
Notes:
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This makes a very large batch that we, as a family of 5, eat for dinner and then freeze. For a soup with almost no fat in it, this actually freezes quite well. Just make sure to give a very good stir when you reheat.
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The spice quantities are very customizable. I’m not into spicy food, so I use the hot spices very sparingly. Feel free to use a heavier hand if you like heat.
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Finally, his soup first appeared on my blog a few years back. I won’t link it here, but just wanted to mention it in case you run across this recipe “in the wild.”
Ingredients
2 tbsp canola oil (or other cooking oil)
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic dice
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground ginger (or 1/2 tsp fresh ginger)
Dash cayenne pepper
2 celery sticks, diced (I often replace this with 2 more carrots)
1 can diced tomatoes (8 fluid oz)
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups red lentils, rinsed
6-8 cups vegetable broth (less broth if you like a more watery soup, more broth if you prefer a thicker soup)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and all other spices except salt and pepper, and sautée until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery (or the carrots and carrots) and mix to coat with the spices. If the food is starting to stick to the bottom of the pot, add a splash of veggie broth or water.
Cook the carrots and celery until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, quinoa, and red lentils, and stir to combine.Cook for another minute or so, and then add the veggie broth.
Cook, uncovered, mixing occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes, until the lentil and quinoas are soft. If the soup starts to boil before the 15-minute mark, be sure to lower the heat until the lentils and quinoa are cooked through.
Add the salt and pepper, do a taste test, and adjust spices to your liking.
Take about half the soup and place into a high-powered blender. Blend this half, then add it back to the pot and mix it.
Enjoy!