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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This soup is awesome! I usually am not a chick pea fan, but this soup was so good, I didn’t even notice the chick peas. Thanks for this great recipe!
Just made this tasty soup! Was looking for a new take on my everyday vegetable & bean soup recipe, and this one is definitely going into my rotation. I loved the combination of spices. Cumin and smoked paprika provide a flavorful warmth to each spoonful. Next time, I am going to add more fresh veggies and maybe even some more beans since I like my soups just a bit chunkier. Overall, an excellent and quick addition to any cook’s repetoire.
This soup rocks!! I make soup every weekend 9 months of the year and this is one of the best soups ever. I shared it with my petsitter and she loved it too and asked for the recipe. Then she passed the recipe along to her Priest and he raved about it too. Do find the red lentils. You might get a little sticker shock but once you make this soup you’ll make it over and over. They don’t go bad so even if you make it only once or twice a year that box will be gone. I found them in The Fresh Market and I’m sure others like Whole Foods and maybe even Trader Joes carry them. Brown and green and other (less expensive) varieties just won’t work. Red lentils disintegrate into the soup and thicken it. Other lentils retain their shape.
Besides providing plant based protein once you know that red lentils can be used as a thickener you’ll find other uses for them. If you only make one new soup this year make this one!!!!
Delicious! I used chicken broth, added two small yukon gold potatoes that I had in the fridge, and 1 c. frozen peas. I skipped the blending step at the end, but still delicious. Love the smoky flavor. Great leftover. Would be easy to make vegetarian using vegetable broth. Thanks for another wonderful soup!
Definitely a winner recipe and brings a little heat to a typical . It is a little smoked paprika forward that can be overwhelming so really taste testing along the cooking process can help make sure your flavors are melding as they should. I just used an immersion blender which made the process that much easier.
This is hands down the best soup ever. I make vegetarian soups and stews all the time and every time I make something else I think “why didn’t I just make this one again!”. Its that good. I always make it with kale as the vegetable though since I feel like its healthier and I’m not a big fan of peas, or of greenbeans in soups. Its amazing. I can’t say enough how much I love this soup. I always make a double batch with the intention of freezing some for later, but then just end up eating it all. lol.
Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup:
We cook mostly soups from Fall to Spring, due to the cool-to-cold weather. At first, I passed this one by, because Jenn has made me a huge fan of French lentils. But, every recipe of hers that I have ever made turned out great, so I decided to give this one a try. And I am so glad I did!! This one’s a winner! I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes, a bit more Cumin & Thyme, and an additional bay leaf. I blended it with a stick blender, and it turned out just fabulous! We have added it to our regular soup rotation. Paired with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc & Jenn’s Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls or Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins, it makes for a great cold-weather dinner, that is good tomorrow too! Thanks Jenn!
I was looking for recipes for a Daniel Fast and tried this recipe. It is so good! A very comforting and satisfying soup. The only change I made was adding a handful of fresh spinach. I will be adding this to my regular rotation! So good!
Delish. I sub veg broth so this soup works for GF & vegetarians, & use fire roasted tomatoes. I double the recipe & hold back the 2nd can of beans & veggies (often frozen, which works fantastic) to add after using the immersion blender on a portion. In heavy rotation this winter – yummo!
This soup has become a staple in our house! My youngest has been devouring it since she was 1yr. It really was the perfect starter soup. Great flavor and lots of nutrition from her growing body and mind. We love it and have enjoyed many of Jens recipes 😊