This Red Lentil Carrot Soup is a hearty and flavourful soup made with red lentils, carrots, and a blend of aromatic spices. It's the perfect comfort food to serve with homemade dinner rolls, garlic knots, or soda bread.
Have got half a packet of opened red lentils?
I often do and use them to whip up delicious dishes like red lentil curry, butternut squash dal, tortilla soup and this fantastic red lentil soup.
My quick and easy red lentil carrot soup is ready in about 40 minutes. It's the perfect way to use those red lentils from your pantry along with other everyday veggies.
Many supermarkets, including Waitrose, Tesco, Morrisons, Lidl, Asda, and Sainsbury's, sell red lentil soup in plastic pots for £2-£3. However, you still need to heat it for at least 2 minutes, and it's only enough for one serving. Making it at home is simpler, more cost-effective, fresher, and yields better-tasting results! You can prepare large batches and store them in the freezer for later use.
With just 10 minutes of hands-on time, you can prepare this red lentil carrot soup. Plus, it can be made in advance, reheated, and enjoyed on busy days.
Why should you try this recipe?
Quick and Easy: This recipe is simple and straightforward and can be made in one pot, making it perfect for busy weeknights or lunch options.
Budget-friendly: This recipe uses simple, affordable ingredients that can easily be found at your local grocery store. You can also make a large batch of these red lentil soup at once, making it a cost-effective way to feed a crowd.
Adaptable: You can easily adjust the ingredients as well as the seasonings and spices to suit your taste preferences.
Batch Cooking: This soup is perfect for batch cooking. Make a large batch and enjoy the convenience for later.
Versatile: These red lentil soup also doubles up as a pasta sauce if you like.
Healthy: Packed with wholesome goodness, this carrot and red lentil soup is healthy and tasty too.
Dietary needs: This recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free. It is also customisable to accommodate any other dietary needs or restrictions.
How to make this easy Carrot and Red lentil soup recipe?
- Sauté Aromatics: Begin by heating oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced celery, onion, and garlic, and sauté until the onions become soft and translucent.
- Introduce Lentils and Vegetables: Next, toss in sliced carrots, potatoes, and red lentils, and sauté briefly.
- Spice It Up: Stir in curry powder, vegetable stock, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Simmer and Cook: Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer covered for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until the red lentils and carrots are tender.
- Blend: Turn off the heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it achieves a smooth and creamy consistency. If you prefer a chunkier texture, partially puree the soup, leaving some bits for a satisfying bite.
- Taste and Adjust: Taste the soup and season as necessary. Serve with a dollop of cream and garnish with freshly chopped coriander and chilli flakes.
Serving Suggestions for red lentil and carrot soup
Pair with bread: Serve the red lentil soup with a variety of bread options. Consider serving it alongside garlic knots, homemade dinner rolls, or a rustic crusty bread like soda bread or no-knead bread. Elevate the flavours of the soup and texture by adding air-fried croutons and a drizzle of olive oil.
Hearty Pasta Soup: To transform this soup into a heartier dish, simply add elbow pasta into the mix. This turns it into a satisfying pasta soup, something like minestrone soup that's sure to please.
Indian Dal: Add a medley of spices and a tadka to the soup, giving it the essence of a hearty Indian dal. Accompany it with warm roti or naan bread.
Storing leftover red lentil carrot soup
To store any leftover carrot and fresh coriander soup, first, allow the soup to cool completely.
In Refrigerator - Transfer the soup to an airtight container or a glass container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator. Store for up to 3-4 days. Reheat the soup all the way through in the microwave or the stove before serving.
In Freezer - Transfer the soup to an airtight container or a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Label and place the soup in the freezer and store it for up to 3 months. Reheat thoroughly in the microwave before serving. Do not re-freeze thawed soup.
Variations
This soup is customisable, with numerous delicious options:
- Red Lentils and Red Pepper Soup: Enhance flavours by adding diced red pepper in the last 10 minutes of cooking. It's incredibly tasty.
- Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Dahl: I have got you covered with this easy recipe.
- Sweet Potato and Lentil Curry: Sauté celery, onion, and garlic, then introduce red lentils, sweet potato, stock, tomatoes, and curry powder. Cook as usual, and you'll have a delightful curry in minutes!
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Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Olive oil
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 white onion diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 carrots diced
- 1 potato diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoon curry powder
- Salt & Pepper to taste
To serve
- Yogurt
- Coriander
- Chilli flakes
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add celery, onion, garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion is translucent.1 teaspoon Olive oil, 1 stalk celery, 1 white onion, 2 cloves of garlic
- Add the carrots, potato, tomatoes, lentils, curry powder, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20- 25 minutes or until the red lentils are soft.3 carrots, 1 potato, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 cup red lentils, 1 litre vegetable stock, 2 teaspoon curry powder, Salt & Pepper to taste
- Blend the soup until nice and smooth, adding a splash of water if necessary. For a chunkier soup, partially puree the soup to leave some bits on.
- To serve spoon the soup into bowls and garnish with yoghurt (or cream!),coriander leaves, ground pepper and chilli flakes.Yogurt, Coriander, Chilli flakes
Mike Reynolds says
This is a very tasty soup, heart warming on a cold winter's day. It was easy to make. A great spicy taste with the curry powder giving it a bit of a 'kick'.
Pam says
I haven't made it yet (and will rate it after I do but I LOVE how you list the ingredients under the instructions. It makes it so much easier than having to scroll back and forth online.
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Thank you Pam. I hope you enjoy the Red lentil soup too.
Terri says
Are the tomatoes added in step 2?
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Yes it is. Thank you for bringing to my attention.