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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Hi Jen This is the best soup it’s my go to right now we are headed into winter so just making a batch now. Feel very virtuous as I have made my own stock from veggie peelings I have made it for my veggie daughter-in-law just after she had the baby and she begs me to bring it when we visit i bought your book and love it stay safe
So good! And SO quick. I add corn and spinach as the extra vegies and increase the smoked paprika a bit. It is a meal in itself, all you “need” is some crusty bread.
Appreciate all your recipes.
This recipe was delicious and very simple. With limited shopping options, I was looking for a recipe to utilize ingredients I had on hand and be flexible enough for substitutions. I didn’t have carrots so I sauteed one stick of celery and a diced red pepper with the onion. Instead of smoked paprika I used regular, along with chipotle diced tomatoes (my husband bought these in error and I unwittingly used them in an Moroccan-style recipe which didn’t work well AT ALL, but they were perfect for this soup). Instead of adding more vegetables at the end, I poured the soup into individual bowls over a handful of fresh spinach which wilted from the heat. I would definitely make this recipe again and it is easy to tweak and customize.
Just made today, hadn’t made since last year-why did I wait so long!! So delicious just followed recipe exactly! Thanks Eve
Oh my goodness!!! I have made this twice now and it is an absolute hit at our house with family and guests!! It is now in the permanent Recipe Rotation:) I didn’t really measure on the frozen mixed veggies, I just added mixed frozen soup veggies until it looked to be the right amount…plus a little of this leftover frozen veggie and a little of that…we love our veggies!!
I want to make this for dinner tonight and have all of the ingredients except that the only red lentils I have on hand are “split.” Can I still use them? Should I adjust †he cooking?
Hi Jenn, I’m probably weighing in too late to be helpful – sorry! For future reference, I’ve never used split lentils before; I suspect they should work but will need less cooking time. I’d add them along with the chickpeas.
I have made this soup several times and have always used split red lentils (could never find whole red). I’ve always followed the cooking instructions exactly despite this, and it has turned out great every time. I do add the green beans and about a cup of petite peas at the end.
I made this some time ago and in the UK, it is one of those recipes that is ideal, as you nearly always have most of the ingredients in your cupboard. I have no tinned tomatoes but suppose I can use passata, which I have. Keep safe, keep well.
Sure, Mary. The soup may be a bit less chunky, but it will work. Enjoy!
Jenn
Can I use regular paprika with a splash of liquid smoke instead of smoked paprika?
Or could I use smoked chipotle?
Sure, Lynn — either should work. Hope you enjoy!
This is one of the best soups I’ve ever tasted and I can’t believe how easy it was! As soon as I tasted it I texted the recipe to two friends before I even finished the bowl – it’s soooo good!!
This looks delish and a perfect “I’m stuck in the house and I really need to feed my family some veggie” type of dish.
I have not made this yet but I’m wondering if I put some bell peppers (red, green, or both) if it would throw the flavor off. I see the smoked paprika and I think Hungarian. But if this is meant to have a more indian flavor I’ll skip the bell peppers.
Hi Terri, I think bell peppers would be a nice addition here. Hope you enjoy!
This is a tasty, hearty soup, just as good after freezing.