Easy Vegetarian Curried Lentil Soup in 1 Hour is a deliciously warm, hearty weeknight dinner option. Fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic and carrots are sauteed in olive oil before adding red lentils and chickpeas. Yellow curry powder, red wine and either vegetable or chicken stock create the flavorful broth in this soup. Serve topped with fresh parsley and goat cheese crumbles and a slice of crusty bread for a perfectly satisfying meal. This is clean, rustic dining that feeds the soul!
This recipe generously serves eight people, and makes a great meal prep option to be enjoyed again over the course of a week. This lentil soup also freezes well for a quick meal on a cold day. However, if leftovers and meal prep are not your thing, this recipe easily can be cut in half – which I have done now that we are empty nesters.
Jump to RecipeThe hardest part of this recipe for Easy Vegetarian Curried Lentil Soup in 1 Hour is the prep work
Hearty vegetarian soup recipes are some of my favorites this time of year. If you’re a gardener, chances are you’re overrun with a crop or two. And even though we all crave the undeniably superior flavor of that first home-grown, vine-ripe tomato of summer, by late August or September, nostalgia gives way to the realization that we may have over-planted – again – for the third year in a row. Ah-hem.
I’ve done it a time or two or ten myself.
This recipe for Easy Vegetarian Curried Lentil Soup in 1 Hour is one I’ve made over the years whenever my tomato plants were producing faster than I could consume their bounty. Come late summer, early fall – I simply can’t get enough of this red lentil soup – especially with a little fresh parsley and goat cheese crumbles sprinkled on top, and a slice of crusty bread. Delicious!
The hardest part about this recipe is the 15 minutes of prep work at the beginning. There’s a fair about of slicing and dicing that goes into preparing the onions, carrots, tomatoes, parsley and garlic. But after that, it’s smooth sailing and this Easy Vegetarian Curried Lentil Soup in 1 Hour cones together quickly.
In addition to cutting up the vegetables, it’s important to thoroughly rinse and drain the lentils before adding them to the soup. Don’t be tempted to skip this step. A bag of dried lentils or beans can sometimes contain small pieces of other plant materials, dust or even tiny stones. It’s always important to rinse and sort out any unwanted materials before adding dried ingredient to a dish. But there’s a lesser known reason why you should rinse these pantry staples before cooking – antinutrients.
Sounds ominous. What are antinutrients and should I be concerned?
In my blog post, 3-Step Bless Your Heart Sweet Tea, I touch on the brilliant way many delicious things go about protecting themselves from being consumed. Tannin production is a plant’s best attempt at self-preservation. When you pick, cut into or process certain seeds, legumes, vegetables and fruits, the plant is working to make itself less desirable -even downright unpalatable or indigestible. In my sweet tea recipe post, a pinch of baking soda is used to neutralize the naturally-occurring tannin in the tea leaves – creating that bitter taste we sometimes experience when drinking tea. Adding a pinch of baking soda neutralizes the tannin and produces a smoother, more pleasant sipping experience.
Lentils play a similar game. They contain the antinutrients Lectins, Trypsin and Phytic Acid, which contribute to our bodies’ inability to properly digest and absorb nutrients, and can produce considerable stomach discomfort. But there’s an easy step that can minimize the impact of antinutrients.
In a Healthline article written by Sharon O’Brien, MS, PGDip, on lentils, O’Brien recommends thoroughly rinsing and soaking lentils and beans to remove the antinutients. The article provides a more detailed, nutrition- and science-based overview of the presence of antinutrients in lentils. It’s a quick, interesting read.
In this recipe for Easy Vegetarian Curried Lentil Soup in 1 hour, I recommend rinsing the lentils under cold running water until the water goes from cloudy to clear. This step can take a few minutes as the water works to release and rinse away any dust, unwanted debris and antinutrients coating the lentils. Give the lentils a good shake in the strainer as the water runs over them. When you see the water go from cloudy to clear, they’re ready.
Healthy, hearty and truly satisfying
I share my life with a true carnivore who loves flavorful food. My husband loves meat morning, noon and night. So when I find a recipe that is vegetarian or even vegan and satisfies both his taste buds and his appetite, I know I have a winner. And for this Reducitarian, that’s a pretty good thing.
I hope you give this recipe for Easy Vegetarian Curried Lentil Soup in 1 hour a try, and please share with a friend or on your social channels! Enjoy!
Easy Vegetarian Curried Lentil Soup in 1 hour
Course: MainCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy8
servings15
minutes1
hourA clean, rustic soup of fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, red lentils and chickpeas in a flavorful yellow curry broth.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for drizzling when serving
1 cup white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. yellow curry powder
2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced (canned tomatoes can be substituted)
1 cup carrots, sliced thin or finely diced
2 cups red lentils, rinsed until the water runs clear and drained
One 15-ounce can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
4 cups hot, low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock (be sure to use stock, not broth)
2 cups water (hot)
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup fresh parsley, lightly chopped
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Optional – feta or goat cheese crumbles and olive oil for drizzling over soup before serving
Directions
- Prepare the vegetables, lentils and chick peas as specified above.
- Heat the stock and the water and set aside until ready to add.
- In a large stock pot, over medium heat saute the onions and garlic in 2 Tbsp. of olive oil until just tender – approximately 2 minutes. Stir to ensure the garlic does not burn.
- Add the curry powder to the onions and garlic and bloom for 1 minute.
- Add the carrots and tomatoes to the pot and continue to saute the vegetables until the carrots just begin to soften – approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the chick peas and lentils to the vegetable mixture. Stir for 1 minute.
- Add the hot stock, water and wine to the mixture and stir to incorporate. Bring the mixture to the boil and continue to stir. Once the soup has reached the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for 45 minutes.
- After cooking for 45 minutes, check the carrots for tenderness. Depending on the thickness of the cut carrots a few more minutes may be needed.
- When the soup is ready, add the fresh parsley and simmer, uncovered for another 5 minutes.
- Serve as is or if desired, top with a drizzle of fresh olive oil, cheese crumbles, and a side of crusty bread.
