Red Lentil Soup With Spinach
A comforting bowl of Red Lentil Soup made with Spinach, Red Lentil, Carrot and warm Spice is full of amazing flavors. This red lentil soup is rich in protein, fibers and is gluten-free.
The ultimate one-pot Lentil Soup you would be needing this winter is right here. This Red Lentil soup is mildly spiced, flavourful with melting red lentils and spinach. It is rich in protein and fiber. This filling and the really satisfying soup take only 30 minutes to make.
We are approaching the soup season. It is time to bring in all those warm cozy soups and stews on the table. You can never have enough soup recipes, right? I mean who doesn’t love a pot of soup simmering away in a pot and getting ready just in time for dinner.
Lentil or as we call it ‘Dal’ is an integral part of Indian Cuisine. Usually, we serve dal alongside rice or Indian bread. Saying that usage of dal is not limited to making stew. There are various recipes using lentils. I might end up writing a whole new post on that. But for now, let’s talk about this amazing Spinach Lentil Soup.
Spinach is a super-food that is added to this dal making it very nutritious and healthy. it is packed with nutrients and vitamins. It is also low in calories.
There are so many ways you can use spinach. I have used it in pasta – Creamy Spinach Pasta, another soup – Healthy Spinach Soup Recipe, used it as a stuffing in chicken – Mushroom Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast, as a wonderful filling in Spinach Corn Sandwich – Video recipe, a delicious appetizer – Creamy spinach stuffed portobello mushrooms
HOW TO MAKE RED LENTIL SOUP?
Making Spinach Lentil Soup is quite easy as you don’t need any special ingredients. All you need is Red lentil, fresh or frozen Spinach, carrot, and a handful of spices.
I prefer using red lentil for soup because it cooks fast. You don’t have to cook on low for long hours, nor do you need to soak it. The orange-looking lentil turns golden yellow once cooked. By cooking in a pot, it is easy to avoid overcooking the lentils. I like the little texture in the soup, so I don’t blend it once it is cooked. For the smoother soup base, you can blend it at the end.
Start by caramelizing onion and garlic in oil. Caramelizing onions and garlic add a depth of flavor. After that, it is pretty much like dumping the rest of the ingredients into the pot and letting it cook until vegetables are tender and Lentil is cooked.
For extra flavor, I have used Vegetable stock here but water can also be used.
To the end, add spinach and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
This red lentil soup is vegan and also gluten-free. It is completely a plant-based soup. This is a filling and satisfying vegetarian dinner that you can make in no time. If you want a break from indulgent eating, then this soup surely is the perfect one.
You can absolutely make this Red Lentil Soup in a Crockpot. If sauteing onion and garlic seems like too much work, just dump all the ingredients into the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.
This Lentil Soup can be frozen easily. Once it is cold, divide it into small portions and store it in food-safe Zip-lock bags. As there are no dairy products added to the soup, it can be frozen very well. Before reheating, let it thaw for 30 minutes on the kitchen counter.
This is best served with either bread like this No-Knead Rustic White Bread or with any meaty sides Lemon & Thyme Roast Chicken or Rosemary Lemon Chicken Thighs or Easy Grilled Chicken with Buttermilk Marinade.
Spinach Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup red lentils (Ref Notes 1)
- 8 cups Vegetable stock/ water
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 small Onion
- 1 tbsp Garlic Minced
- 1 large tomato Chopped
- 1 large carrot Chopped
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tspn Cumin powder (optional)
- 1 tbsp Mild Curry Powder
- 1 tspn Paprika
- 3 cups spinach Tightly packed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- half lemon wedge
- fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
- Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot. When medium hot, add chopped onion followed by garlic. Saute 2-3 minutes. The onion will start to soften and no more raw smell of garlic.
- Stir in chopped tomato and Carrots. Saute for a minute and let the veggies soften.
- Add all the spices turmeric, cumin, curry powder, paprika. Saute for a minute. This helps to develop the flavour.
- Stir in washed lentil and stock/water to the pot. Season with salt.
- Once it comes to a rolling boil, reduce the flame and let it cook covered for another 20 minutes.
- When the lentil is almost cooked and carrot is tender, add Spinach to the pot.
- Mix well and let it simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Stir in fresh lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if required.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves when serving.
Notes
- To cook lentil faster, soak the lentils for 10-15 mins. Then drain and add to the pan.
Nutrition
‘PIN LATER’
It’s my first time making lentil soup, and this recipe is so delicious I definitely make it again super love it.
This is the most awesome soup! Love the flavors. You can play around with the spices if you want. Add more cumin, carrots and spinach; put some hot chili in it if you like. We LOVE this soup – all seasons.
Delicious! I added 2 medium chopped potatoes and a little crushed red pepper for a bit of heat. Will definitely make this again!
I just made this soup- so good with a perfect blend of spices. The only changes I made: used only 6 cups of vegetable broth and added 5 cups of spinach. I like my soup thick and hearty. I will definitely make this again.
Best lentil soup I have ever made.
AMAZING
Quick and easy. Chopped the onions, carrot and garlic and put the spices into a small container and put aside for later. Came home and cooked this up in no time. I did substitute a can of chopped tomatoes for the fresh tomato and increased the amount of red lentils by 1/2 c. This soup is good,but don’t forget the lemon! However, next time I will double the spices. That’s the only reason for knocking off a star…it was a little bland for us. Serve with hearty bread or pita and hummus on the side.
Please clarify how much paprika, the recipe reads 1 tspn, so I’m not sure if you mean a teaspoon or a tablespoon. Thanks so much, can’t wait to try this soup!
it is one teaspoon.
Delicious and quick to make, will be making this soup again and again!
Made this for the first time for a small dinner party, everybody loved it! A tip: don’t overcook the spinach to keep the nice bright green look together with the orange of the soup. You want the soup to taste delicious and to look good!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was definitely well received. I made as instructed and easy to make. I thought there might be to much spice, but not at all. Very mild flavour. You could easily add more if you wished. I need to increase my protein intake and this did the trick. I’ll be making this again and again. My husband had two bowls and has told me over and over how great it tastes.
I love spice so I basically doubled up on all the spices and also added a can of chickpeas in and it turned out great! I love the recipe and thought it was nice and hearty. On a day craving meat, rotisserie chicken would add extra flavor as well! Thanks for sharing!
Love it!! Absolutely delicious! Thank you so much.
A perfect winter soup
I just added the juice of half a lemon to the soup at the end and it was lovely.
This soup turned out great! Loved it and saved to my favorites. I used a Moroccan spice blend (homemade) ras al hanout), and frozen spinach. Also used one 14 ounce can of spicy chopped tomatoes. Even in summer this soup is light and delicious. BTW, I used 1 cup not 1-1/2 cups of red lentils.
Delicious!
This is a delicious recipe. I usually tweak something with most recipes, this one needed no tweaks! This is being added to our regular rotation. Thank you so much!
Hi,
Made this soup for dinner this evening. What a huge hit. The only thing I adjusted was to use 2 cups water and a lower sodium broth as we are on a low sodium diet.
I would recommend this soup to anyone, and have already shared with friends.
This is one of favourite soup too. So happy that you liked it.
Lovely comforting soup and I love spinach and with dal, it’s always divine.