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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Just made the soup today. Easy recipe and we loved it. Great taste, flavorful and good source of protein. will make it again for sure
This is absolutely delicious. I subbed home cooked white beans for garbanzos and raw string beans for peas, made small adjustments in timings to ensure they cooked. Vegan w veg broth. Added a tiny drizzle of truffle oil to finish for fun. Smoky flavor is subtle and perfect. Five stars.
Hi Jen,
Just wanted to say thanks for answering my question about this soup. I made it and it’s soooo good! Glad I doubled it because everyone wanted seconds!
Thank you,
Londa
My pleasure — so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this soup yesterday for dinner, ate together with pita bread. My husband and I loved it. Very clean taste but still flavorful. I used an entire can of red lentils, rinsed first. I also used an immersion blender directly in the pot to blend some parts of the soup (lazy trick but worked). Will definitely make it again. Thank you.
This was alright, but I don’t think we’d make it again, and if we did, it would need some changes. We felt it was a bit bland. It could probably use double the cumin (preferably roasted) and some cayenne, and maybe a bit of roasted, ground corriander. It also might benefit from letting the onions caramelize a good bit. It just seemed kind’ve…dull…and that’s with using a homemade roasted veggie stock that I make that is waaaaay more flavorful than anything you can buy at a store. So, certainly not bad, but not something we’ll be making again.
Okay, I kind’ve take back a bit of what I said. After sitting overnight in the fridge the soup REALLY improved the next day. As is often the case with these things, the flavors seemed to really come together and the whole thing kind’ve gelled (flavor-wise) in a way it hadn’t the night before. I still think it needs more cumin and some red pepper, but we’d definitely make this again, although we would make it a day in advance.
Great flavor and easy to prepare. I use an immersion blender and add some heat (personal preference) – either sriracha or red pepper flakes. To extend it to serve more people, I add cooked brown rice. A keeper! Thank you, Jenn!
This is absolutely delicious! I am making meals ahead for my brother, who just had a quadruple bypass. I’d never made this soup before today but had all the ingredients on hand, including my own chicken stock that I made by stewing a Costco chicken carcass. I cut the 1 tsp of salt to 1/2 tsp of Kosher salt and it was just perfect. Threw in some frozen peas and Lima beans… yum! I bet spinach or kale wilted would be delicious too. I will be making this again and again.
Did you use split or whole red lentils? I could only find split red lentils. If using whole red lentils, where can they be found? Enjoy your recipes!!
Hi Diane, I use whole red lentils (and am able to find them at my local grocery store). 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. Hope you enjoy!
Love me a lentil soup!
If you want the lentils firm substitute whole brown lentils. I’ve never seen whole (red or yellow) lentils only the split. Maybe a whole foods or specialty store may carry them.
From Google: Red lentils break down faster than other types of lentils when cooked. The texture quickly becomes soft and creamy, so red lentils are most often used in soups and curries. Red lentils cook quickly (and turn mushy quickly) because most red lentils sold in stores are split red lentils.
This one was really good, I am going to make it again, I used peas this first time. I think that I blended it a lot, and next time I will try less blending, but was still really good!
I’ve made this recipe a few times, as is and as a vegan option. It is so delicious and versatile that everyone has asked for the recipe!! I received one of Jenn’s cookbooks for Christmas and have since made 20+ of her recipes both from her cookbook and her blog. Every single recipe has been delicious and a “keeper”. You have become what I refer to as my ” go to girl” when I need a delicious and reliable recipe! Thank you for making me ” look good” with your great tips recipes!!
I totally agree with you! Jenn’s recipes make me look like a rock star in the kitchen!