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 and there is a very popular Indian curry - Palak Matar Curry ( Spinach and Green Peas Curry).
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.
STEP BY STEP VIDEO
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'
Tracey says
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!
Subhasmita says
it is one teaspoon.
Maria says
Delicious and quick to make, will be making this soup again and again!
Daniele says
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!
Heather says
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.
Tonya says
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!
Andrea says
Love it!! Absolutely delicious! Thank you so much.
Geri says
A perfect winter soup
I just added the juice of half a lemon to the soup at the end and it was lovely.
Linda G. says
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.
Mary says
Delicious!
Rebecca says
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!
Judith says
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.
subhasmita says
This is one of favourite soup too. So happy that you liked it.
Shibani says
Lovely comforting soup and I love spinach and with dal, it’s always divine.