Lentil and Vegetable Soup (Printable)

Wholesome lentils and roasted vegetables simmered in fragrant broth create this nourishing, plant-based soup perfect for any season.

# What You'll Need:

→ Lentils

01 - 1 cup dried green or brown lentils, rinsed

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
03 - 2 celery stalks, diced
04 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
05 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
06 - 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Broth and Seasoning

10 - 6 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Finishing

16 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional
17 - Juice of ½ lemon, optional

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F.
02 - Toss carrots, celery, zucchini, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes until lightly caramelized.
03 - Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
04 - Stir in the rinsed lentils, roasted vegetables, vegetable broth, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes until lentils are tender.
05 - Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon juice as desired.
06 - Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The roasted vegetables bring out a natural sweetness that feels indulgent without any cream or butter.
  • It comes together in about an hour and tastes like you've been tending a pot all day.
  • One pot becomes a week's worth of lunches, and it somehow tastes better on day three.
02 -
  • Roasting the vegetables is non-negotiable—sautéing them instead will give you a thinner, less interesting soup because the sugars won't caramelize properly.
  • If you forget to remove the bay leaf before serving, laugh it off like I did, but warn your dinner guests; it's a bitter surprise if they bite into it.
03 -
  • Let your knife do the work when dicing vegetables—uniform pieces cook evenly, so spend an extra minute with your cutting board rather than rushing through and ending up with chunky and thin pieces mixed together.
  • Smoked paprika is doing heavy lifting in this recipe, so don't go cheap on quality; the difference between fresh paprika and stale spice cabinet paprika is the difference between a good soup and a great one.
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