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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Fabulous! I used chicken stock (all I had) and threw in a red and yellow pepper after roasting, instead of the peas and beans… DELICIOUS! Smokey treat to return home to after trick or treating! It’s wonderful to have some fast, yummy soup recipes tucked under your belt, to be pulled out when time is short, but still tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen 😜
Absolutely one of the best soup recipes I have tried. Served this to my sons family along with the Italian garden salads and received rave reviews from the one and three year olds to the parents who requested the recipe.
Easy to follow along with your wonderful step by step tutorials. Jenn your website is a godsend. Keep up the great work!
Thank you SO MUCH for including the nutritional information! I find myself cooking for a group where there are MANY diabetics. And as a Diabetic Health Coach and an RN, I want to be certain I’m cooking things they can have. Thanks again. So looking forward to your cookbook! Pinky
Thanks, Pinky – glad you find it useful!
I made this recipe for my family for a quick, easy Meatless Monday meal & we all LOVED it. It was simple to make & the flavours were delicious. Even kids liked it which is awesome!!! I made recipe as written & added in the frozen peas & cooked green beans in the end. Love all of your recipes! Looking forward to you recipe book!!!
Hi
Could I use barley instead of lentils?
Hi Karen, that should work. Just take a peek at the cooking time on the package of barley to determine when they should be added. Also, if you have any leftover soup, the barley is likely to soak up a fair amount of the liquid, so you may need to add more broth before eating the leftovers.
I made this soup for dinner for my family yesterday, they all loved it! It’s yummy, nourishing and satisfaying! I also like the fact it’s quick and easy to make and doesn’t require too many ingredients. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Love the soup. Very easy to make. I added chile pepper flakes to make it spicy, and extra cozy on chilly days.
Jenn,
I love this recipe! Always make it exactly as written. Each fall I host a group of friends with homemade soups and a crusty dutch oven bread. I enjoy gathering this way because all the work is done before guests arrive. This soup will be back by popular demand!!
I also make it through the winter, often finding I have the ingredients on hand. The soup carries over beautifully with the flavors developing a bit more after the first day.
Absolutely love this recipe. Have made it several times. Anyone who tries it loves it too. I have made it with just peas and a combo of peas and green beans or kale. They are all delicious and so healthy. Great flavour combinations. We like it with warm mini naan breads. Deserving of 5+ stars!!
I love this soup. It is a good example of a recipe that will stay in your rotation. Hearty and healthy. I did double the recipe . So tasty !