Vegetarian Lentil Soup

Author: Katie

This is the best lentil soup to make on a chilly day. It’s packed with flavor, and the whole family will love it. It’s an easy base made with simple ingredients on which to build and add to and will warm you from the inside out.

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5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Middle-Eastern Inspired

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

1 onion *chopped
3 garlic cloves *finely chopped or minced
2 stalks celery *finely chopped
1 ½ cups cubed potatoes = around 4-5 small potatoes
2 carrots *peeled + chopped into coins
pinch of salt (how much depends on how salted your veggie broth is)
½ cup dry green or brown lentils *rinsed
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon marjoram
6 cups vegetable stock
⅓ cup shredded cheddar *see notes
2 tablespoon sour cream

You can find detailed step-by step-photos above the recipe card.

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan (with a lid) over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and celery and saute until garlic is translucent and soft.
1 onion, 2 stalks celery
Add the cubed potatoes, carrots and season with a pinch of salt (the amount will depend on how salted your veggie broth is). Fry for about 1-2 minutes.
3 garlic cloves, 1 ½ cups cubed potatoes, 2 carrots, pinch of salt
Add the lentils, thyme, marjoram and veggie broth. Cover the pan with a lid and bring the mix to a boil. Then reduce heat and let simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until lentils are soft but not mushy. (see notes).
½ cup dry green or brown lentils, ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon marjoram, 6 cups vegetable stock
Take the soup from the heat and let the soup cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese.
⅓ cup shredded cheddar
Take out ¼ cup of the soup (without any veggies) and add it to a small bowl. Dissolve sour cream and add the mix back to the soup.
2 tablespoon sour cream
For a creamier soup, blend about ¼ of it with a stick blender (optional).
Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Serve garnished with fresh herbs.

Video

Notes

Cheese: cheddar or other types of cheese such as parmesan will work as well. Make sure to use a rennet-free one.
Vegan: Skip the sour cream and use vegan cheese.
Cooking time: The cooking time will depend slightly on what type of lentils you choose. If the lentils are still hard after 25 minutes, continue simmering until soft. You might also need to add an additional spash of veggie broth.
Rinse lentils before cooking: They are often dirty, so don’t add them in.
Adjust consistency: Make the soup thinner by adding more veggie broth or, for a creamier soup, blend some or all of the soup.
Instant Pot:
- Set Instant Pot to SAUTE.
- Add the olive oil, onion, garlic and celery and saute until onion is translucent.
- Add cubed potatoes, carrots and a pinch of salt and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add lentils, thyme, marjoram and 3,5 cups of veggie broth.
- Seal the lid (make sure the steam release handle is in "sealed" position), cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Allow the pressure cooker to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes.
- Then quick release (by turning the steam release handle from the “sealed” to the “venting” position).
- Follow steps 5- 7.

Nutrition

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates.

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