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 wanted a quick soup to try, and this was easy and delicious! I used peas only, as I had no other green veggies around. I also blended about 4 cups of the soup, to make it creamier. So good! This is a healthy soup, but really has a surprisingly rich flavor, even with no milk or heavy cream. My teen girls loved it, my husband even liked it, and he usually turns up his nose on anything that doesn’t have meat in it. I will definitely make this again.
My immersion blender blew up and my blender was visiting my daughter. So, I used my potato masher and my whisk. It was fine.
Nothing stopping you Laurie! 🥰
I should have checked to make sure the carrots were done before I scooped up a bowl as they could have been cooked a bit longer. And I had soaked & cooked my own chickpeas and they as well could have cooked just a touch longer. And I forgot to add the green peas even though they were sitting right on the counter 🙂 But despite all this, it was so good! And the smell of my apartment, heavenly. I also added a cashew cream over the top of it which made it even more delicious. I’m always trying to be so perfect when I cook, so now I’m allowing mistakes and justing going with it, and it is turning out good so far! Also, I made my own vegetable broth for this recipe 🙂
Crissy, your strategy DOES sound perfect! I like your cooking approach.
It was delicious! I added baby spinach that was frozen which I defrosted first and squeezed water out before adding. I added an extra clove of garlic and served it with naan.
This soup is fabulous!!! I added some chopped celery and leaves. Other than that I’d say double it when you make it! Thank you for the recipe.
Wow, great recipe, even if I only got to taste it whilst cooking!
Swapped out chickpeas for lentils which seemed to work OK
Another winner delicious with the right amount of spice perfect for a cool late fall day! Pretty much followed ingredient list when serving added a dash of Frank’s but definitely not needed
Hey. I just made the soup and it’s delish! I only have one question, should I have used the liquid from the chickpeas? I’m in the habit of rinsing most canned beans off because of the effect it has on my digestive system. Thanks.
Glad you liked it, and you were correct in draining and rinsing the chickpeas. 🙂
Fantastic soup that will be in our regular rotation! The only change I made was adding about 2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes for some heat. Definitely improves with time so I’ll make it a day or two before eating.
Oh my goodness, this is an absolute winner! A delicious, nourishing soup for so little time and effort. The addition of smoked paprika is\ magic. And I didn’t have to go grocery shopping because everything was in my fridge or pantry! The Thanks so much, Jenn!
Just made this soup last night! It is sooo good! It will definitely be on my regular rotation from now on.
Can I use green lentils instead of red? Thx.
Hi Val, You can get away with green lentils — the soup may just a bit longer to cook. Please LMK how it turns out!