Easy Vegan Red Lentil Tomato Soup
This vegan red lentil tomato soup is nutritious and easy to make in one pot in 30 minutes.
Introduction
This healthy tomato red lentil soup recipe is simple, wholesome goodness and perfect for easy weeknight dinners. It features a flavourful base of veggies, tomato-based broth, Italian herbs and hearty red lentils that add a nice thickness, earthy flavor and nutrition to the soup.
The recipe is easy to whip up in 30 minutes and makes a wonderfully comforting dish during the colder months, especially when served with a slab of crusty bread. It also freezes and stores well so it’s a great option for meal prep or batch cooking.
If you have extra red lentils after making this recipe, you can use them in Coconut Red Lentil Dahl, Sweet Potato Lentil Soup or Butternut Squash Lentil Soup. Those 3 recipe use coconut milk and curry powder rather than the Italian-inspired flavors of this recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Onion: White or yellow onion works.
- Carrot: You’ll need about 3 medium carrots but the amount doesn’t have to be exact.
- Celery: Use about 4 stalks of celery, again, the amount doesn’t have to be exact.
- Garlic: I used quite a bit of garlic – 5 cloves! Feel free to use a bit less if you think that might be too overpowering.
- Vegetable Broth: You can use any store-bought or homemade vegetable stock or broth.
- Red Lentils: The recipe calls for red lentils, which are soft when cooked. You could use yellow lentils, brown lentils or green lentils but the soup will have a longer cooking time and a different texture.
- Diced Tomato: You’ll need a 28 oz can of diced tomato or crushed tomatoes. I like fire-roasted tomatoes for extra flavour! Love tomato? Add 1 tbsp tomato paste when you add the herbs in the recipe.
- Herbs: The recipe calls for oregano, basil and thyme. You can substitute 2 tsp Italian seasoning if you like. You can also substitute roughly 2 tbsp minced fresh herbs for each dried herb. For a similar recipe made curry powder instead of Italian spices, you can try my Curried Lentil Soup.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Variations & Additions
- Oil-Free Option: Omit the oil and use a bit of water or broth to saute the veggies.
- For spicy lentil soup, use the red pepper flakes and increase up to 1/2 tsp (or more!) if you like heat. You could also use cayenne pepper.
- For greens and extra nutrition, add 2-3 handfuls of fresh baby spinach or kale at the end and stir in to wilt.
- For additional veggies, add 1 diced red bell pepper or green bell pepper when you add the celery and carrot.
- For more texture, you can pulse the soup a few times with an immersion blender at the end or scoop 1-2 cups into a blender or food processor, puree soup, then pour back into the pot.
- Creamy Tomato Lentil Soup: For a completely creamy soup, remove the bay leaves and blend the entirety of the soup until smooth and creamy.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Start by chopping the onions, garlic, celery and carrots and assembling the dried herbs so you’re ready to go.
Step 2: Once you’ve prepped everything, heat the oil (if using) in a large pot or large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for a few minutes to soften.
Add the garlic, celery and carrot and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often.
Step 3: Add the pepper, dried herbs, red pepper flakes and the bay leaf and cook for another minute while stirring, then add the red lentils, vegetable stock and diced tomatoes.
Step 4: Simmer the soup, uncovered, until the lentils are tender. This should take 15-20 minutes.
Step 5: Stir in the lemon juice, taste the soup and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
That’s it! Serve your delicious soup right away sprinkled with fresh parsley and black pepper, if you like. Even better, with some garlic bread.
Recipe FAQs
Sure! Let the soup cool completely then freeze in a freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag and store for 3-4 months.
When you’re ready to eat, thaw it in the fridge overnight or place it right into a large pot on the stovetop to reheat.
Yes. To make this recipe in a slow cooker, either saute the veggies on the stovetop first (recipe steps 1-4) before adding everything to the pot or just add everything to the crockpot and cook for 5-6 hours until the veggies and lentils are tender.
Yes. To make this recipe in a pressure cooker, use the Saute function to saute the veggies, herbs and seasoning for a few minutes then add the rest of the ingredients, seal the Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 7 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes then release any remaining pressure, carefully option the lid, taste, season if needed and enjoy.
I would recommend using red lentils in this recipe. Red lentils have a soft, creamy texture when cooked which naturally thickens the soup.
You can, however, substitute brown lentils or green lentils. They will take 5-10 minutes longer to cook and the soup will have a different consistency but it will still be tasty.
Yes. To use canned lentils, reduce the broth to 3-4 cups. Simmer the soup without the lentils until the carrots are tender then mix in the lentils to heat through. Drain and rinse the canned lentils before using them.
Let the soup cook before storing. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat the soup in a pot on the stovetop or in individual servings in the microwave in 30-45 second intervals, stirring between intervals, until heated through. Note that the soup will get thicker as it sits. You can stir in broth or water when you’re reheating the soup until you reach your desired consistency. You can also leave it thick for lentil stew.
More Simple Soups
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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Vegan Red Lentil Tomato Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
An Italian lentil soup recipe featuring tender lentils in a tomato-y broth that’s easy to make in 30 minutes and a great way to include nutritious lentils in your diet.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (use water or broth for oil-free)
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced or grated (about 3 tbsp)
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced (approx. 1.5 cups)
- 4 stalks of celery, diced (approx. 1.5 cups)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 5–6 cups of vegetable stock
- 1 cup uncooked red lentils
- 1 28-oz can of diced tomatoes with the juices
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- sea salt and additional pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat Oil: Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. If you’re not using oil, just add the onion with 1-2 tbsp water or broth.
- Saute Onion: Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add Fresh Veggies: Add the garlic, celery and carrot and cook for another 3-4 minutes until softened, stirring often.
- Add Seasonings: Add the pepper, dried herbs, red pepper flakes, if using, and the bay leaf. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
- Add Liquids and Simmer: Add 5 cups of the stock, red lentils and diced tomatoes and bring to a light simmer. Start with 5 cups of broth and if needed, slowly add a bit more broth or up to a cup of water as it cooks to adjust the thickness. Simmer lightly, uncovered, until the lentils are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Season and Serve: Season with salt and additional pepper, to taste, and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Remove the bay leaves and serve right away.
Notes
Make the recipe oil-free by omitting the oil and sautéing the veggies in broth or water.
This recipe works with brown or green lentils but will require a slightly longer cooking time and have a firmer texture in the final soup.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 193
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 138 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 10 g
Originally published on September 8, 2014.
So good and my 19 year old son loved it too! I used green lentils because that’s what was in the pantry. No basil or lemon in the house. Will definitely be making this again and again! Thank you!
This is now my “go to” lentil soup. It is amazing. I’m not sure if my red lentil are super small or if I just like a thicker soup because I double the amount of dried lentils. So good!
Hmm, not sure but either way, so glad you love it! Thanks for the review!
Just finished making this. Next time I will cook the veggies in the broth for about 10 or 15 minutes before I put in the lentils and then cook for additional 20 to 25 minutes as I found the veggies too crunchy. I used one 14.5 oz can of Italian diced tomatoes and one 14.5 oz can of regular diced tomatoes. I also used chicken stock because that’s all I had. Used the herbs according to recipe and followed the cooking directions. I put the lemon juice on the table because I don’t care for the sour punch but hubby does.
It was very good. I have been trying to find new ways to put fiber into our diets without getting carb overload. The hubster liked it as well. It’s only the two of us and we have lots leftover so I may freeze some.
Nice finding a recipe where I had most of the ingredients on hand and I could easily substitute for what I didn’t.
Thank for the recipe.
I made this for lunch today and it was amazing!! So so yummy! I cooked it for 8 min in the Instant Pot and it was perfect. I had leftover cauliflower and shredded cabbage that I threw in as well.
Delicious!! I substituted or added a few things based on what I had in my kitchen (red quinoa instead of lentils, and added chicken) and it came out amazing. Super easy and fool proof, will totally make again sometime!
First time making this my husband loved it…. added red bell pepper and jalapeno also and did it in the slow cooker. When I served it I added vegan sausage.
Sounds amazing, Jenny! Love those additions…sounds yummy. Thanks for adding your feedback.
Thank you for saying to rate after making it. So many recipe sites have comments about how good the food looks and I want to know how it tastes. So… this was great! I had lots of tomatoes left from my garden that I wanted to use. This was a delicious blend of red lentil and tomato soup flavors. Definitely a keeper!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Rita!! Sounds amazing with fresh tomatoes. Thanks for adding your feedback…like you said, it’s very helpful for others!
This soup was really good. It was easy and quick to make. I added some extra vegetables that I had from my garden. I am so glad I found your website Deryn. Looking forward to trying more recipes.
You’re welcome, Helen! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I hope you have fun trying some more recipes!
This recipe was absolutely wonderful for a comforting meal, and the proportions were perfect. I often find that lentil soup can get a little mushy, but this had a good amount of broth. I will admit, I made some changes/additions based on what I had on hand due to the quarantine:
– I didn’t have a large can of diced tomatoes so I used one 15oz can plus about a cup of tomato sauce (plain)
– I added a splash of cooking sherry between steps 2 and 3
– I added a couple teaspoons of low sodium chicken bouillon in with the vegetable broth
My meat-loving husband had 2 big bowls for dinner 🙂
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for adding your feedback and changes! So glad you enjoyed it.
This was the best soup ever! Super easy to make and the flavor is so good…everyone loved it! Thanks!