This Lentil Spinach Soup with Lemon is a quick and easy one-pot vegetarian meal that is full of unexpected flavor. It’s light, nutritious and satisfying with lots of fiber. Serve it over rice for a complete vegan protein. What’s not to love?
The winter holidays are loaded with culinary temptations. From party cocktails to comfort food to dessert platters, we’re indulging like there’s no tomorrow. Around this time of year I often feel the need to clean up my diet a bit. My energy level becomes low; I feel sluggish. Last winter I came across Melissa Clark’s recipe for Red Lentil Soup with Lemon and it seemed just the ticket. Using the ingredients I had on hand, I made my own version of this popular soup. The result was a perfect combination of healthy and tasty.
Since last year I have made this soup repeatedly, refining it to suit my taste– using brown lentils, less stock for a thicker soup, and wilting in lots of healthy greens. The result is a simple stew-like lentil soup, richly flavored and full of vitamins. The lemon gives it an unexpected brightness that just sings. My husband, who tends to think lentil soup is boring, was pleasantly surprised. “So much flavor! And it tastes healthy, in a good way.”
Suffice it to say, this has become one of our winter staple meals. It’s so easy to throw together. I’ve thickened the broth so it’s halfway between a soup and a stew; pour it over white or brown rice for a complete protein and a heartier meal. Enjoy!
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Food Photography and Styling by Kelly Jaggers
Lentil Spinach Soup with Lemon
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 whole onion, diced
- 1 whole carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 quart low sodium vegetable stock (if not vegetarian, you can substitute chicken stock)
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/4 cups brown, green or red lentils, rinsed and sorted
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves (or substitute kale, swiss chard, or another favorite green)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or can substitute parsley-- I prefer the flavor of cilantro here)
- 1 whole lemon
NOTES
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and carrot. Sauté until the onion softens and starts to turn golden. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes longer until fragrant. Add the tomato paste, cumin, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Stir and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
- Add the vegetable stock, water, lentils and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer then cover the pot, slightly vented. Let the soup cook for about 30 minutes until the lentils are soft.
- Remove soup from heat, remove the bay leaf and discard. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup halfway, so that it thickens but still has texture.Put soup over medium heat again. Add the fresh spinach leaves and cilantro. Stir the greens into the soup for 1-2 minutes until just wilted (covering the pot will wilt them faster).
- Turn off the heat and stir in fresh lemon juice to taste. Adjust seasonings if desired, and serve.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
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This is THE best lentil soup ever! It has the perfect combination of ingredients, herbs and spices, and blending for smoothness,to tantalize your taste buds. I will be making this soup time and again! Thank you Tori!
Fantastic! So happy you liked it.
I’ve tried this twice now, and both times I thought it was the best soup I’ve EVER made! So so good and hearty. And I throw in an extra can of beans at the end (garbanzos or white beans). Absolutely delicious. Thank you!!
This soup was delicious. Only changesI made was I substituted the water and tomato paste with diced tomatoes and I substituted the cilantro with parsley I also grated Parmesan cheese on top before serving.
Very flavorful though I preferred to use half the lemon juice. My spouse enjoyed it and requested I make it again. This recipe is worth saving.
Oh, my gosh, Tori! This was THE best lentil soup I have ever tasted, or made.My husband and I devoured it. By the way, I served it in a large, Italian bowl, with seasoned brown rice, positioned at a the bottom of the bowl. Can’t wait to make this soup, when our adult children come home, for the holidays! Thank you so much❣️
Excellent recipe: Essentially soak and rinse to get the dust out. Boil 30 miutes over high heat. Add salt, asip of lemon to taste. Bon appetit!
Gorgeous… chilly, wet day decided I needed “something with lentils”. This recipe definitely lifted the mood. The lemon!!!
I substituted sun dried tomatoes for the tomato sauce (it’s what I had).
Thank you for my new favourite soup recipe xo
Hi Tori. Wondering why the soup pot you are using has 4 handles or looks to have 4 handles? Are you using a double boiler and if so, did you sauté your onions before putting the soup pot containing the rest of the ingredients back onto the bottom half of the double boiler?
Thank you
It is not a double boiler; the soup pot handles are double layered, but there are only two handles.
I know red lentils cook fast — will using red lentils instead of green or brown change the cooking time?
As you suspected, it may cook a bit faster – I can’t give you an exact timing, you would need to try and taste until the tenderness is right.
Amo las lentejas, ya tome nota de los ingredientes, estoy segura que se componen perfectamente todos. Muchas gracias por compartir.