Easy Lemon Lentil Soup

This lemon lentil soup recipe comes together with pantry staples. It’s protein-packed, deceptively tasty, and naturally gluten-free!

Easy Lemon Lentil Soup - Vegan & Gluten-Free

It was grey and rainy in Toronto today, so when dinner rolled around, I decided to “veganize” this Lentil Lemon Soup recipe. It contains very few ingredients and it’s quick and easy to prepare, making it a perfect weekday meal.

Easy Lemon Lentil Soup - Vegan & Gluten-Free

Why I love lentils

  • They’re easy to use. Unlike dried beans, you don’t have to pre-soak lentils before cooking them. And they’re fully cooked in under 30 minutes.
  • They’re an excellent source of protein. 1 cup of boiled lentils has a whopping 19g of protein!
  • They’re ridiculously cheap! I can get a 375g bag of red lentils at my local grocery store for under $2.50. And they’re even cheaper if you buy in bulk!

And did you know Canada is the world’s #1 producer of lentils? I definitely did not know that before today!

Easy Lemon Lentil Soup - Vegan & Gluten-Free

Don’t be afraid of lentils

I must admit that I don’t use them as much as I should. But I’m making a concerted effort to change that. So, as I discover and create new recipes, you’ll be seeing a lot more lentil recipes around here!

Easy Lemon Lentil Soup - Vegan & Gluten-Free Easy Lemon Lentil Soup - Vegan & Gluten-Free
Easy Lemon Lentil Soup - Vegan & Gluten-Free Easy Lemon Lentil Soup - Vegan & Gluten-Free

Recipe Notes – Easy Lemon Lentil Soup

  • Don’t be put-off by the bland color of this soup. It’s deceptively delicious!
  • Garnish it with what you have on-hand. Fresh parsley or cilantro (fresh coriander), hot chili flakes or Sriracha, or even just some freshly ground pepper.
  • Save time, make more! This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, and it is very freezer-friendly. Make some extra and pack it away for those days when you’re too busy/tired to cook!

Easy Lemon Lentil Soup - Vegan & Gluten-Free

Updates – Easy Lemon Lentil Soup

January 20, 2014 – I made this again tonight, and tossed 2 cups of chopped kale in at the end. Besides boosting the nutrition of this already super-healthy soup, it added some nice color and texture. I’ve added it as an option in the recipe, below.

Print

Easy Lemon Lentil Soup

This lemon lentil soup recipe comes together with pantry staples. It’s protein-packed & deceptively tasty. Vegan & naturally gluten-free!

  • Author: Angela @ Vegangela.com
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 50 mins
  • Yield: 5-6 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • pinch hot red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1.5 cups dry red lentils
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 cups kale or spinach, chopped (optional)
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley (or cilantro / coriander), finely chopped

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook for 5 minutes.
  2. Add cumin, lentils, broth, salt & pepper, and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender and soup is beginning to thicken, about 30 minutes.
  4. Stir in lemon juice and kale/spinach (if using). Serve sprinkled with parsley/cilantro.

Notes

Adapted from: http://www.lentils.ca/recipes/lentil-lemon-soup

Keywords: easy, favorite, freezer-friendly, gluten-free, high-protein, lemon, lentil, make-ahead, nut-free, one-pot, soy-free, stove top, soup

Did you make this recipe?

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Easy Lemon Lentil Soup - Vegan & Gluten-Free

Easy Lemon Lentil Soup - Vegan & Gluten-Free

Easy Lemon Lentil Soup - Vegan & Gluten-Free

26 thoughts on “Easy Lemon Lentil Soup”

  1. Love your creative and healthy ideas! Best I’ve seen so far. Thanks for your photos and recipes. I shall be trying them from now on. Getting tired of my own great cooking! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Loved it (twice in the last week). Only quibble is with “Serves: 5-6”–I can’t stop eating it! Delicious with kale, the garlic, kick of pepper and brightness of lemon are so wonderful.

    Reply
  3. OMG! I LOVE this soup – so light but flavorful and so easy!!! You are genius to put lemon juice (I just squeezed in the serving bowl and made such a difference! 🙂 Kale addition was an excellent idea too! Thank you!!!

    Reply
  4. I just made this recipe and I loved it!
    I will try other recipes from your website.
    Thank you for this great recipe.

    Reply
  5. Hi,
    Do you think it would be possible to make the soup and then put it in the freezer so I’d have some quick meals for the rest of the week?? I’m not sure which soups are freezable and which aren’t…

    Reply
  6. Love this soup. Very easy to make and you are right, the colour looks a tad bland but the flavours are amazing. It also freezes well and keeps its yummy flavour, winner!

    Reply
  7. I’m making this today! I’m waiting for it to cook as we speak. I actually decided to making my own vegetable stock. It turned out really well. Hoping the end product is delicious!

    Reply
  8. What amazing comfort food! Bonus points that it is so easy to make. I’m really enjoying working my way through the recipes you have posted on this site.

    Reply

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