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–+ servings
Bowl of creamy carrot and lentil soup
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Creamy Lentil and Carrot Soup

A creamy, vibrant Red Lentil and Carrot Soup that’s perfect for January. Healthy, budget-friendly, and naturally vegan. The ultimate winter comfort bowl.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American, British, European, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: Carrot, Lentil, red lentil
Servings: 6
Calories: 317kcal

Equipment

  • Medium casserole dish with lid
  • Small non-stick frying pan
  • Spice grinder or pestle and mortar

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 300 g carrots finely diced
  • 2 celery sticks finely diced
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 garlic cloves grated
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 300 ml passata
  • 1000 ml vegetable stock
  • 300 g red lentils
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium to large casserole dish (with a lid) and add in the diced onion, celery and carrot and cook over a medium heat until softened – about 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a dry non-stick small frying pan, toast your mustard and cumin seeds until fragrant. Crush them either in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
  • When the vegetables are softened, add in the grated garlic and ginger and cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Add in your ground mustard seeds and cumin seeds, along with the turmeric, ground coriander, and paprika. Stir and cook for a minute or so.
  • Pour in the passata, the vegetable stock, add the red lentils and the bay leaf. Give everything a good stir. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cover for 45 minutes, giving a stir every 10 minutes to stop it sticking on the bottom.
  • After 40 minutes, if you are adding additional protein, do so now - see note below.
  • Simmer for a further 5 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the the lemon juice.
  • Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds if using, and prepare to be full of delicious, healthy goodness!

Notes

  • This is a filling soup, but if you want to serve some sourdough bread alongside it, you will definitely not go hungry for a few hours! Check out my recipe here.
  • Once you have a base soup like this, you can use it to add in leftover vegetables from the fridge if you wish. I often like to increase the vegetable count by adding in a couple of handfuls of spinach leaves or chopped kale.
  • Additional protein - make this into a complete meal and add in some extra protein in the form of 250g of cooked chickpeas/can of chickpeas if you’re looking to keep this vegan or shredded, cooked chicken (2-3 thighs should do it). Stir either of these ingredients into the soup 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
  • This soup will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, or it freezes particularly well. Great for batch-cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 912mg | Potassium: 1002mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 9093IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 6mg