Tomato Lentil Soup (Printable)

A vibrant soup with tangy tomato broth and protein-rich lentils, ready in under an hour.

# Ingredient List:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
02 - 2 medium carrots, diced
03 - 2 celery stalks, diced
04 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
06 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste

→ Lentils

07 - 1 cup dried brown or green lentils, rinsed

→ Liquids

08 - 5 cups vegetable broth
09 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Spices & Seasonings

10 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
11 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
13 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
14 - 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
15 - 1 bay leaf

→ Finishing Touches

16 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional
17 - Juice of 1/2 lemon

# How to Prepare:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables are softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add tomato paste, cumin, smoked paprika, thyme, and black pepper. Stir continuously for 1 minute to release the flavors of the spices.
04 - Add diced tomatoes with their juice, rinsed lentils, vegetable broth, bay leaf, and salt. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
05 - Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are completely tender.
06 - Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in fresh lemon juice and adjust seasoning as needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour but tastes like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen.
  • The lentils give you real protein and substance without feeling heavy or pretentious.
  • One pot means cleanup is almost as quick as the cooking itself.
02 -
  • Don't skip the step of toasting your spices in the tomato paste, because that thirty-second moment is what separates this from tasting like plain vegetable soup.
  • If your lentils aren't tender after thirty minutes, they might be older lentils (which take longer to cook), so give them another five to ten minutes rather than serving them crunchy.
  • The soup actually tastes better the next day after the flavors have melded, so if you have time to make it ahead, you're doing yourself a favor.
03 -
  • Buy your lentils from a store with good turnover because older lentils take longer to cook, and the age is impossible to tell from looking at them.
  • Toast your cumin and paprika in the tomato paste for those extra thirty seconds, because that's the difference between this tasting like someone who actually cares made it versus something you threw together.
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