This vegan Tomato Lentil Soup is the ultimate soup for the soul. Easy to make with a surprisingly irresistible flavor!
Those of you that have been with me for a while know that I love vegan soups.
LOVE.
For a few reasons…
(1) They are usually easy and quick to make.
(2) Typically the batches are large so you can refrigerate or freeze some for another lunch or dinner.
(3) They are the perfect vehicle for getting in the most nutrient-dense ingredients, like legumes, vegetables, and grains.
Not only do soups make it easy to get a healthy and delicious meal on the table, they are deeply comforting and pleasing to the senses.
There is something very soul-enriching in making and eating soups. The chopping and prep calms my mind, the simmering of the stew fills the house with aromatics, and there is a feeling of ‘plenty’ to see a large pot of soup waiting to be eaten on the stove. Indeed, soups are soul-satisfying.
So much for me that I my soups chapter in LTEV is called Vegan Soup for the Soul.
I made this Tomato Lentil Soup with Cumin and Fresh Dill from LTEV recently, and was SO surprised by our daughter’s reaction when I served it. Went something like this:
Daughter: What soup are we having tonight?
Me: I’m not sure if you remember this one, I haven’t made it for a while – have a taste.
Daughter: Yum, I LOVE this soup, this is the soup you made on New Year’s Eve!
That would be New Year’s Eve TWO years ago! I was shocked she remembered it, particularly because I hadn’t given it a quirky name like “Sniffle Soup” – which they know very well. But, their friends joined us that year on New Year’s and when I asked her how she remembered, she said “oh, I remember this soup because we all brought it downstairs and had it with that yummy bread and everyone loved it“. We remember the food we love and memories are created, apparently even as wee ones.
Another food we love is cashew cheese. For this version, I added fresh herbs and a just a couple of sun-dried tomatoes (one of the suggestions in the Truffled Cashew Cheese – recipe is in Let Them Eat Vegan). It pairs fabulously with this Tomato Lentil Soup.
I share this soup with you today, because maybe it’s a little chilly where you are too… or maybe because you’d like to create a few new soup memories.
Tomato Lentil Soup with Cumin and Dill
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 cups onion chopped
- 3/4 cup celery chopped
- ½ cup carrots chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic
- 2 ½ cups white potato peeled and chopped (OR 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice, added later, see note)
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups cauliflower chopped
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dill seeds
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups red lentils rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 3 ½ – 4 cups water more if using cooked rice, see note
- 1 bay leaf optional
- 1 can 28 oz crushed or diced tomatoes
- 2-3 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the water in a large pot over medium or medium- high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, potato (if using), cauliflower, cumin seeds, ground cumin, dill seeds, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir, cover, and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lentils, stock, 3 1⁄2 cups of the water, and the bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the lentils have cooked through and are softened. Then, add the tomatoes (and brown rice, if using instead of potato), and turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaf, and using an immersion blender, puree the soup until completely smooth. Turn on the heat again to medium-high, and cook the soup for another 5 or more minutes to heat through (you can return the bay leaf to the soup or not). Once reheated, stir in the fresh dill, remove the bay leaf, and serve, sprinkling with extra fresh dill, if desired (chives or green onions are also nice addition, as pictured). Serves 6 or more.
Notes
Recipe from Let Them Eat Vegan.
Have you tried this recipe? What are your favorite soups and go-to vegan stews?
myfudo says
LOve that this is soy free…My daughter cannot have anything with soy in it. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Dreena says
Glad to help – most of my recipes are bean, grain, or nut/seed based rather than soy. I try to give alternatives for folks even when I do use soy. Hope you enjoy. 🙂
Eva says
Dreena:
You are our favorite chef! We have cooked from many vegan/vegetarian cookbooks, and your recipes are the very best! We have made recipes from Eat Drink and Be Vegan and just got your new book as well. I recommend you to everyone.
I made this soup recipe on Sunday – oh, I LOVE this soup! I froze several portions so that we can have easy week-night dinners.
I hope you have a book signing in the San Francisco area – I want to meet you.
Dreena says
Oh Eva, thank you! That is quite a compliment for me, as there are so many talented vegan chefs and cooks with exceptional cookbooks. And, really delighted that you love this particular soup as well. What fun it would be to meet you too!! My publisher doesn’t have the budget for a book tour for me, so not sure when/if I will get to San Fran… but, I sure appreciate the welcoming vibes. I hope to keep bringing you much food love!! <3
jennP says
I just made this soup tonight and oh my goodness it is delicious!! (as all your recipes seem to be). It is very rich and creamy. My husband is not really fond of soups, so i used a portion of it as sauce for his pasta dish!
I have your 4 books and have been making recipes from them at least 4 days a week!! 🙂 I take one book with me to work daily and decide what to make that week. Keep up the culinary awesomeness!!
Lorii Abela says
This looks really great. Thanks for the recipe!..
Katie O says
This soup is awesome! Although the calendar says June, up here in the upper left hand corner of the map it is still cool. I made this soup today substituting 1/2 cup brown rice for the potatoes. It came out wonderfully thick, rich and so tasty that my non-vegan husband helped himself to seconds. Very easy to toss together but special enough for company.
Dreena says
Glad to hear it, Katie! My husband really loves this soup too, goes back for seconds, thirds… 🙂 Lovely to hear your feedback!