Tomato Lentil Soup (Printable)

Hearty Mediterranean soup with tangy tomatoes and tender lentils, ready in under an hour.

# What you'll need:

→ 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 and Seasonings

10 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
11 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - ½ teaspoon dried thyme
13 - ½ 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 ½ lemon

# Method:

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

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's genuinely nourishing without feeling like you're eating something virtuous, just delicious.
  • The whole thing comes together in under an hour, leaving you with a pot of soup and almost no cleanup headache.
  • Brown lentils hold their shape beautifully, giving you actual texture instead of mush.
02 -
  • Don't skip the tomato paste step; it sounds small but it builds flavor complexity that the canned tomatoes alone can't provide.
  • Lentils vary wildly in how long they take to cook, so start checking at 25 minutes instead of waiting the full 30—some are tender faster than others.
03 -
  • Make a double batch and freeze half in portion containers; this soup tastes even better the next day once the flavors have had time to get to know each other.
  • If your broth is weak, add a pinch more salt and let that brighten everything; salt is the ingredient that brings quiet flavors into focus.
Return