Hearty Tomato and Lentil Soup
This tomato and lentil soup is the perfect heart warming veggie packed dish! It is simple to make, loaded with fiber and perfect if you are feeling under the weather! This soup is perfect for a cold winter night, as a meal prep or as a light dinner option and it is made with simple, minimal ingredients.
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Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup with Tempeh Bacon
Veggie Packed Chickpea Noodle Soup
Lucky Lentils Bring Prosperity in the New Year!
This soup recipe was passed down to me through my Italian mother-in-law, who referred to it as lucky lentils! Traditionally in Italian culture lentils are made every New Years Eve as they bring luck and prosperity for the year ahead! My boyfriend and I made this soup this year for New Years in honor of this newly discovered tradition and will be incorporating it into every year ahead.
Italians eat lentils on New Year’s Eve for wealth and prosperity because the legumes were believed to resemble Roman coins! Now, the lentils do not have to be in soup form, but for us we want to continue our family tradition and continue to make the tomato and lentil soup that my boyfriends late Nonna used to make for the family. This will be one of our ways of keeping her love alive. 🙂
How to make your tomato and lentil soup
This tomato and red lentil soup is made with simple ingredients and made in one large pot for easy clean up!
First prepare your veggies. Chop up the onion, celery and carrots and gather the rest of your ingredients.
Next, cook your onions, celery and carrots over medium heat for 5 minutes, then toss in your chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Add in your crushed garlic and toast for one minute, stirring continuously to prevent burning.
Add in the rest of your ingredients! Mix well and bring to a simmer!
Once your soup is at a simmer cook for 30-40 minutes until the lentils are soft. Keep in mind green lentils cook faster, so if you use red lentils you will need to cook them for less time!
Some tips from Steph
Choose a good tomato sauce! The best sauce to use is a homemade tomato sauce but I know these are hard to come by if you do not have a big Italian family! The next best sauce store bought sauce I’ve found is this one by Raos Tomato Sauce.
Switch up the veg! Throw in any veggies you have hiding in the back of your fridge or freezer, most veggies will work in this soup!
Use a low-sodium veggie broth. Broths tend to be quite salty so if you are watching your sodium intake make sure to use a low sodium broth!
Make it thick like a stew or thin like a soup. Adjust the amount of broth as desired to reach a consistency you like!
Make your soup with red or green lentils! I used green lentils for this specific recipe but you can also make a tomato and red lentil soup, both will work! Just keep in mind red lentils cook slightly faster than green lentils so they will need less time to simmer.
Serve with some garlic bread to take it to the next level! you can simply toast some fluffy bread or pita and brush on a mix of olive oil and garlic onto your toasted bread!
Spice it up!
Add in some chili flakes to make a spicy lentil soup!
Try adding some mixed spices to make a spiced tomato and lentil soup! Italian herbs would work well, or you could try a mix of Spanish or Indian spices! The sky is the limit!
Add in some cashew cream to give the soup a more decadent and rich flavor!
Try roasting your tomatoes before hand in the oven to give them a nice char then mix them into the soup to make a roasted tomato and lentil soup!
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Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup with Tempeh Bacon
Veggie Packed Chickpea Noodle Soup
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Creamy Vegan Caesar Salad with Chickpea Croutons
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Hearty Tomato and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Large Onion roughly chopped
- 3 stalks Celery roughly chopped
- 2 Carrots roughly chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 1 cup Chopped Tomatoes
- 14 cups Low Sodium Veggie Broth
- 2½ cups Tomato Sauce
- ⅓ cup Tomato Paste
- 1 cup Green Lentils or red
- 1 cup Chopped Potato one large potato
- 1 head Broccoli cut into bite sized pieces
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sauté your carrots, onion, and celery over medium heat for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add in your crushed garlic and toast for one minute stirring continuously so the garlic does not burn.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients (except for the broccoli) and mix well to combine.
- Bring your soup to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes until the lentils are cooked.
- Green lentils take longer to cook than red lentils, just give them a taste to see if they are cooked. You'll know they are done when the lentils are soft.
- Add in the chopped broccoli and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!