Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup
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This warming, satisfying lentil and vegetable soup comes together in just 30 minutes.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
For a vegetarian recipe made almost entirely from pantry staples (and I mean true staples, not staples from some well-stocked dream kitchen), this vegetable soup is surprisingly delicious. It’s thickened by puréeing a portion of the soup and then stirring it back into the pot (a technique I also use in other veggie and bean soups like pasta e fagioli and mulligatawny). This method gives the soup a wonderfully rich and hearty texture without relying on heavy cream or flour. The soup takes just 30 minutes to come together, start to finish, yet tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen, and it’s good for you, too. For the cooked vegetables, feel free to use any quick-cooking, frozen, or leftover vegetables you have on hand. The recipe is extremely flexible and very hearty!
Table of Contents
“Super simple and delicicious. It’s a keeper.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chickpea, Lentil and Vegetable Soup
- Olive Oil: Used to sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, and spices, adding richness and helping to develop a deep flavor base for the soup.
- Onion and Garlic: Provide a savory foundation and depth, essential for building the soup’s overall flavor.
- Carrot: Adds a subtle sweetness and contributes to the hearty texture of the soup.
- Paprika and Cumin: Infuse the soup with smoky and earthy flavors, enhancing the overall warmth and complexity.
- Vegetable or Chicken Broth: Acts as the soup’s liquid base, balancing flavors and providing a rich, savory undertone. Opt for low-sodium broth here.
- Diced Tomatoes: Contribute acidity and a subtle sweetness, adding depth to the broth.
- Red Lentils: Thicken the soup and add protein, creating a hearty texture. It’s important to stick with red lentils here due to their quick cooking time. Use 1/3 cup as specified in the recipe, as using more can make the soup too thick.
- Dried Thyme: Adds an aromatic, earthy note that complements the soup’s savory elements.
- Bay Leaves: Infuse the soup with a mild herbal flavor, enhancing its overall complexity.
- Chickpeas: Add texture, protein, and a nutty flavor, making the soup more substantial.
- Cooked Vegetables: Provide additional texture and nutrients, rounding out the soup with a variety of flavors and colors. I like to use frozen peas and green beans but you can use any quick cooking, frozen, or leftover vegetables you have on hand. The recipe is very flexible!
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cooking the onions in olive oil until soft. Add the carrots, garlic, smoked paprika and cumin and cook until fragrant, a few minutes.
Add the broth, tomatoes, lentils, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas and continue cooking 10 minutes more.
Remove a few cups of the soup and place in a blender or food processor.
Purée until smooth.
Pour the puréed soup back into the pot. Stir and taste; if you want the soup to be thicker, purée a bit more. Add the vegetables.
Bring the soup back to a simmer and serve.
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Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 14.5-ounce (411-g) can diced tomatoes
- ⅓ cup red lentils
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 15.5-ounce (439-g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cooked vegetables, such as frozen peas or chopped green beans
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, smoked paprika and cumin; cook, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn't brown, about 2 minutes more.
- Add the broth, diced tomatoes, red lentils, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer; cook for ten minutes. Add the chickpeas, cover the pot and cook 10 minutes more. Fish out the bay leaves, then transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender and purée until smooth (be sure to remove the center knob on the blender and cover with a dishtowel to avoid splatters). Add the puréed soup back to the pot and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary; if you want the soup to be thicker, purée a bit more soup. Add the cooked vegetables and simmer until the soup is hot and the vegetables are warmed through. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Comments
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I have loved every recipe of yours I have tried…never thought I would like “vegetable” soup so much but I do!! I will be making this many times during the winter…I can’t stop eating it!! This is a very healthy recipe and so versatile…so many flavors…
After having great success with the Coconut Dream Pie, I tried this for dinner the following day. Such a simple, easy and healthy dinner to throw together. I’ll be making this again. Thanks!
I made this soup and….Ohhh myyyyy, it is WONDERFUL!! I loved the addition of smokey paprika. It takes this soup to another level. Excellent, soup enjoyed by all. Perfect amounts of ingredients! Another keeper??
This soup is wonderful! My husband and I both came down with a nasty virus this week and I wanted to make something warm and healthy to chase away the bugs. .. And this was just the ticket!!
I made it pretty mush as written. A few additions:
I added a chopped red bell pepper to the onions and a minced jalapeño for some heat.
I also added a generous teaspoon of hot curry to the spice mixture.
I used 3 cups chopped kale and chard from my garden for the greens.
Then, for the final simmer, a can of coconut milk.
Could I make this in a crockpot?
Hi Nikki, I’m not very experienced with a crock pot, but I think it may be doable. For some helpful tips on converting recipes for the crock pot, check this out. Hope that helps!
Thank you!!!
Definately! I use my crock pot all the time.
All I did was use a skillet to saute the veggies and spices while my crock pot heated up, then transfer the veggies to crock pot with the rest of the ingredients – except the lentils and greens. Lentils I added the last 30 minutes, and greens the last 10.
Delicious and healthy!!!
I absolutely LOVE this soup! Have made it several times already.
Great recipes, easy to make, healthy and delicious! My “go to” blog whenever I’m up for something new. Never have been disappointed.
Great work Jenn!
Great soup and amazing flavour!
I made a double recipe and increased the lentil count. I used a whole bunch of spinach, which I chopped roughly and threw in at the same time as the chick peas.
Will definitely be making this again very soon!
Just made this soup!! Absolutely delicious, thank you Jenn 🙂
Regards Kay
Made this for a dinner party and it was a big hit!
OK…I hate to do this, but I was not a fan of how this recipe came together. I LOVE smoked paprika and lentils and chickpeas so I was really looking forward to this soup. However, I felt that the tomatoes dominated the overall flavor in the end, and I tasted virtually none of the smoked paprika. I might make this again and rework it….possibly cut out the tomatoes entirely, and add a LOT more paprika and red lentils.