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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A very hearty, delicious, and satisfying soup.
Can I can or freeze this wonderful soup.
Thanks.
Hi Sylvie, Yes, should be just fine 🙂
This soup is incredible. I have made it now many times and always to rave reviews. We double the recipe and add in some tomato paste for an even more “tomatoey” flavor. I also used crushed tomatoes. Thank you so much for this recipe, it has found a permanent spot in our “go-to” family recipes.
Hi this soup was so delicious my daughter is vegan and my husband and I are meat eaters.
And I made it for them and they love it.
So tonight we had to decide between the soup or a prime rib type soup won.
My husband is French and he said how about that soup was so good.
Thank you so much for sharing?
This soup is a winner. Before it’d even done cooking, I could tell. I did make a few teensy changes though. I started the paprika and cumin in hot oil, before adding the onion and used 1/2 a can of fresh cherry tomatoes (minced) with the other 1/2 of ordinary tinned plum tomatoes (I had them left from another recipe). I used a little less thyme than called for and chopped in about a tbsp or so fresh parsley (being a big parsley enthusiast). Thanks Jennifer!
Hi,
What would be the best way to make this soup low carb?
Hi Nate, The best way would probably be to cut back on the chickpeas, but then the soup wouldn’t be as hearty.
Incredibly delicious and so comforting especially on a cold day. I made this several times during a record breaking Boston winter. It’s a one pot wonder. And I made it using a hot plate because our kitchen was being renovated.
This has been added to my standard fall/winter favorite recipe list.
What did we do before we discovered smoked paprika? I have been virtually vegetarian since early February and I’m always on a quest for delicious soups. It seems to take more effort to make veggie broth more complex. This soup is delicious! I did not change one thing (except was more liberal on the thyme and pepper)! Thank you!
Hi, Jenn.
This was a big hit with my husband, and I immediately sent a link to my vegetarian son, who also gives it 5 stars. I added a bit of diced sweet potato and a few curry leaves. Delicious! My son also added some samba olek and this is now on his favorites list.
Last night we had your beef and broccoli, which is a another great recipe….I adapted the sauce to use with salmon tonight, and the house smells amazing! Almost time for dinner!
Wow! This soup was great and so versatile. I really enjoy your website. Thank you very much for your great recipes! I didn’t want to put chickpeas in so I used white kidney beans. I also didn’t have canned tomatoes so I cut up 3 small ones instead. I used frozen peas for the frozen veggie. Excellent! Even my super picky son ate a small bowl.
This recipe had such a unique adult flavor. Neither the cumin nor the paprika dominated the soup, but each added multiple layers of flavor. my husband and I loved it but not our kids. I added 1/4 or less of paprika. I’d make it again!