Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup
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This warming, satisfying lentil and vegetable soup comes together in just 30 minutes.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
For a vegetarian recipe made almost entirely from pantry staples (and I mean true staples, not staples from some well-stocked dream kitchen), this vegetable soup is surprisingly delicious. It’s thickened by pureeing a portion of the soup and then stirring it back into the pot (a technique I also use in other veggie and bean soups like pasta e fagioli and mulligatawny). This method gives the soup a wonderfully rich and hearty texture without relying on heavy cream or flour. The soup takes just 30 minutes to come together, start to finish, yet tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen, and it’s good for you, too. For the cooked vegetables, feel free to use any quick-cooking, frozen, or leftover vegetables you have on hand. The recipe is extremely flexible and very hearty!
What you’ll need to make Chickpea, lentil and vegetable soup
Before we get started, a few words about the ingredients. It’s important to use red lentils, as opposed to another variety: they cook quickly, add wonderful flavor and thicken the soup nicely. The recipe only calls for a third of a cup; don’t be tempted to add more or your soup will turn to sludge.
As for the green vegetables, I like to use frozen peas and green beans but you can use any quick cooking, frozen or leftover vegetables you have on hand. The recipe is very flexible!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cooking the onions in olive oil until soft. Add the carrots, garlic, smoked paprika and cumin and cook until fragrant, a few minutes.
Add the broth, tomatoes, lentils, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas and continue cooking 10 minutes more.
Remove a few cups of the soup and place in a blender or food processor.
Purée until smooth.
Pour the puréed soup back into the pot. Stir and taste; if you want the soup to be thicker, purée a bit more. Add the vegetables.
Bring the soup back to a simmer and serve.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
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Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup
This warming, satisfying lentil and vegetable soup comes together in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- ⅓ cup red lentils
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cooked vegetables, such as frozen peas or chopped green beans
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, smoked paprika and cumin; cook, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn't brown, about 2 minutes more.
- Add the broth, diced tomatoes, red lentils, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer; cook for ten minutes. Add the chickpeas, cover the pot and cook 10 minutes more. Fish out the bay leaves, then transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender and purée until smooth (be sure to remove the center knob on the blender and cover with a dishtowel to avoid splatters). Add the puréed soup back to the pot and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary; if you want the soup to be thicker, purée a bit more soup. Add the cooked vegetables and simmer until the soup is hot and the vegetables are warmed through. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. through.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: about 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 222
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Sugar: 7g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 10g
- Sodium: 622mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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We loved it! Another winner from Jen! Thank you for never disappointing!
Absolute perfection! I’ve loved every recipe I’ve tried of yours— cookbook is beautiful as well!
Thank you for a vegetarian red lentil soup. I make your French lentil soup all the time! I never could make soup as good as one of the gourmet dry mixes but when I follow your recipes I can!
This soup is amazing! Do you know any other vegan soup recipes like this? It’s delicious.
So glad you liked it! Offhand, I don’t know if I have other vegan soups, but I would imagine that many of my vegetarian soups could be tweaked to be vegan-friendly. 🙂
This was a winner Jenn!! My husband and I loved it and now he wants me to make at least weekly. Very easy to make and couldn’t be more delicious especially this time of year. Made exactly like the recipe. Haven’t made one of your recipes that wasn’t awesome! Thank you❣️
Made this and turns out to be my new favorite soup. I added more smoked paprika and used kale as a vegetable.
This soup was delish, my husband and I loved it, will make it again and again, easy and I didn`t change anything, next time a double batch, thank you chef.
Love this recipe, very simple to make and really tasty. Made it for lunch and enjoyed it with a great multi grain bread and some excellent local cheese all perfect for a winters day.
Your recipes have all been great and I love the picture of the ingredients and they’re all easy to follow.
Would french lentils be an adequate substitution for the red lentils?
I wouldn’t recommend it Cole, sorry!
Very tasty soup and one, which is easy to make on busy evenings. My daughter especially loves this and is always more than happy learning this is on our dinner menu! Thank you Jen fir yet another winner!
Hi Jenn, Is there a substitute for the 1/3 c red lentils? Thank you.
Hi Joanne, I’d stick with the red lentils for best results. Sorry!
Great soup and even better the next day when reheated! Because my husband dislikes cumin, I followed Jenn’s suggestion to substitute with chili powder and it worked really well. Thanks!
Just made this and eating as I write! I had to modify a bit based on what I had on hand but the base recipe is the winner here! Yummy and healthy! Thanks again Jenn!
Delicious and so easy to throw together. I would never have thought of mixing recipe spices. The only ingredient I added was a tsp sugar. I think my tinned tomatoes a little bitter. Thank you for wonderful recipe.
YUM! I added an extra carrot and 1 c cauliflower and 2 c green beans cuz I’m a veggie girl, and used my immersion blender to purée partially. Otherwise I made it exactly according to recipe- new fav for sure!
This is so delicious! I have made this several times and we love it!
I made this on the weekend and love it. I love the smokey paprika flavour. I didn’t have the red lentils so left them out but would definitely make this again!!!
Another wonderful recipe. This was so tasty!
Another fabulous recipe!! Made it tonight post work/school and before soccer practice. I didn’t have to shop for anything – everything is a pantry staple here! Will definitely be making this again!!
According to my boys…with a splash of sriracha and cream this is AMAZING!! I doubled it and you must be warned this makes a huge batch. I added left over rotisserie chicken to it last night, so good! I will add some red pepper flakes next time for a little heat. You literally have everything in your fridge, pantry and freezer for this. Definitely a family hit!
Jenn
Can I use regular paprika with a splash of liquid smoke instead of smoked paprika?
Or could I use smoked chipotle?
Hi Lynn, I think either would work. Hope you enjoy!
Easy and yummy!
I added the carrot and frozen peas per the recipe. My family and I needed more veggies in our diet so I added fresh baby spinach (without stems) with the frozen peas. My family enjoyed this wholesome meal.
Hi Jen This is the best soup it’s my go to right now we are headed into winter so just making a batch now. Feel very virtuous as I have made my own stock from veggie peelings I have made it for my veggie daughter-in-law just after she had the baby and she begs me to bring it when we visit i bought your book and love it stay safe
So good! And SO quick. I add corn and spinach as the extra vegies and increase the smoked paprika a bit. It is a meal in itself, all you “need” is some crusty bread.
Appreciate all your recipes.
This recipe was delicious and very simple. With limited shopping options, I was looking for a recipe to utilize ingredients I had on hand and be flexible enough for substitutions. I didn’t have carrots so I sauteed one stick of celery and a diced red pepper with the onion. Instead of smoked paprika I used regular, along with chipotle diced tomatoes (my husband bought these in error and I unwittingly used them in an Moroccan-style recipe which didn’t work well AT ALL, but they were perfect for this soup). Instead of adding more vegetables at the end, I poured the soup into individual bowls over a handful of fresh spinach which wilted from the heat. I would definitely make this recipe again and it is easy to tweak and customize.
Just made today, hadn’t made since last year-why did I wait so long!! So delicious just followed recipe exactly! Thanks Eve
Oh my goodness!!! I have made this twice now and it is an absolute hit at our house with family and guests!! It is now in the permanent Recipe Rotation:) I didn’t really measure on the frozen mixed veggies, I just added mixed frozen soup veggies until it looked to be the right amount…plus a little of this leftover frozen veggie and a little of that…we love our veggies!!
I want to make this for dinner tonight and have all of the ingredients except that the only red lentils I have on hand are “split.” Can I still use them? Should I adjust †he cooking?
Hi Jenn, I’m probably weighing in too late to be helpful – sorry! For future reference, I’ve never used split lentils before; I suspect they should work but will need less cooking time. I’d add them along with the chickpeas.
I have made this soup several times and have always used split red lentils (could never find whole red). I’ve always followed the cooking instructions exactly despite this, and it has turned out great every time. I do add the green beans and about a cup of petite peas at the end.
I made this some time ago and in the UK, it is one of those recipes that is ideal, as you nearly always have most of the ingredients in your cupboard. I have no tinned tomatoes but suppose I can use passata, which I have. Keep safe, keep well.
Sure, Mary. The soup may be a bit less chunky, but it will work. Enjoy!
Jenn
Can I use regular paprika with a splash of liquid smoke instead of smoked paprika?
Or could I use smoked chipotle?
Sure, Lynn — either should work. Hope you enjoy!
This is one of the best soups I’ve ever tasted and I can’t believe how easy it was! As soon as I tasted it I texted the recipe to two friends before I even finished the bowl – it’s soooo good!!
This looks delish and a perfect “I’m stuck in the house and I really need to feed my family some veggie” type of dish.
I have not made this yet but I’m wondering if I put some bell peppers (red, green, or both) if it would throw the flavor off. I see the smoked paprika and I think Hungarian. But if this is meant to have a more indian flavor I’ll skip the bell peppers.
Hi Terri, I think bell peppers would be a nice addition here. Hope you enjoy!
This is a tasty, hearty soup, just as good after freezing.
This is so easy to make (I had everything in the pantry or freezer) and is absolutely delicious. We loved it! I didn’t have a raw carrot tonight (which is unusual) but had Wegman’s frozen Peas and Carrots which worked perfectly as an add in at the end. Thanks for a fabulous soup recipe!
Delicious! My 5 year old likes it too!
Thank you for sharing so many good recipes!
I love this recipe! My 9 yr old daughter came in tonight from playing outside and said, “Mmmmm, it smells SO good!” I change almost nothing, except to add extra carrots in place of green beans and peas, and use fire-roasted diced tomatoes. Flavors are spot-on. Thank you!
I used my Instant Pot and the soup turned out wonderfully. Other than using the IP, I followed the recipe exactly, except I didn’t need to puree – actually I forgot to puree, but the soup was very thick regardless. I wasn’t sure how the IP would do with this recipe, so I did use a 2-round cook-time. With round 1 as the saute as directed, and then added tomatoes, broth, spices and red lentils, and cooked under pressure for 4 mins. Then round 2 was to release pressure, add other veggies and cook for another 4 mins under pressure (with fast release). Turned out very tasty and thick. I think next time I’ll try only using a single round and see how that turns out. Thank you for the great recipe!
I want to try this recipe but never have luck putting uncooked lentils in my soup as they remain uncooked after hours of simmering the soup. Any suggestions so this doesn’t happen? Maybe it’s a high altitude thing? At a loss. Thank you!
Hi Michelle, I know that beans and lentils may take longer to cook at high altitudes but all lentils should soften. Red lentils in particular cook quickly, so I think this recipe would be a good one to try. Please LMK how it turns out if you make it!
It turned out delicious! Thank you for another great recipe.
I used canned lentils and put them in right at the end and it worked great! Delicious soup! Also, I used my immersion blender for a slight blending and I really liked the texture.
My husband and I loved this soup. It was a light soup yet very filling and tasty! I will make it again. Jenn, I love how you organise your recipe page. I’m a visual learner and I love the photo you post with each recipe showing the ingredients we need to make the recipe. Well done!
So glad you like the recipes and the way I have them displayed! 💓
Can you use black or green lentils for soup if you only have them?
I wouldn’t recommend it, Jennifer — sorry!
I’ve made this several times now. I always intend to freeze some to have on hand but never have left overs! The recipe as written is wonderful and it also turns out great with extra veggies added. Zucchini and green beans are two favorite additions, added after the purée step.
This soup is Fantastic!! Easy no fail recipe that took 1/2 hour with ingredients I regularly keep on hand. My husband is a plant based vegetarian (added challenge – no cooking oils of any kind!). This recipe is perfect (just left out the oil). Both of us enjoyed it. Will become a staple. Your recipes have rekindled my desire to cook, I now look forward to being in the kitchen. Many, many thanks!!
❤️
So, so good!! Only thing I did differently was increase the smoked paprika to equal approximately 1/2 To 3/4 tsp (instead of heaping 1/4 tsp as recipe indicated). I usually end up changing/adding a few things but not this time! I added more salt (also suggested in recipe). I used veggie bouillon (recipe gives option for chicken as well). Pairing with Naan bread (as suggested) and a mixed green salad. Made this in under 30 mins. In my Ninja Foodi
Made this last night. I already had (nearly) everything in the pantry & fridge! I subbed chiffonaded fresh chard and baby spinach for the green beans and peas, adding it just at the last minute. I also added ½ cup of white wine with the broth. I made parmesan toast & spooned it over that, and added a bit more cheese at the table. It was absolutely delicious and will be one of our regulars.
Delicious and versatile! Thank you for sharing!
🤯🤯🤯 where has this recipe been all of my life?! And yes please, pass the naan. Thank you Jenn for a wonderful recipe. Please! Keep em coming.
Would using green lentils impact this recipe? I don’t have any red lentils.
Yes, it would, Corrine – for the best results, I’d stick with red lentils — sorry!
Winner! I added 1 zucchini diced and a cup of frozen peas. Thank you!
Excellent soup. Oops, I didn’t follow the instructions and my vegetables were pretty large and my canned tomatoes were whole. I decided to puree the soup (so didn’t add the chickpeas until at the end and did save some lentils from being pureed). As expected the chickpeas didn’t have time to absorb the flavor… still a great soup! I am sure it will be even better when it is reheated.
Great recipe, especially because I had everything on hand already. Used frozen peas and a handful of fresh spinach. This one is a keeper.
Made this tonight. Added 2 stalks celery and 1 cup water because I needed 5 servings and increased spices by 1/2 more. When I served it we squeezed about 1/2 tsp lemon juice into each bowl and added 1 tsp freshly grated Parmesan on top. If vegan, you could add nutritional yeast. Really sparked up the flavor. You have to try this soup.
Wow what a fabulous soup!! Another home run Jenn!! We are trying to follow a low fat plant based diet and I stumbled on this recipe looking at your green bean recipes and was so excited to try it!!!
I prepared it pretty close to your recipe but added a bit more black pepper and baby kale along with the green beans and peas.
It’s a lovely creamy, substantial soup!!! Certainly appropriate as a meal!! The hubby gave it two thumbs up!! It’s a keeper!
Loved this soup!! Definately making a double batch next time so I can add some to the freezer.
This was so, so good! And easy! And healthy!
I had friends to dinner with little notice and needed something quick that I could make with what I had on hand. Everybody absolutely loved this soup. It has such a unique and delicious flavor, and was hearty enough for the main course.
Jenn,
I made this last evening and it is yet another winner! So the only question I have, and I think it may have gotten the answer in other recipes, or somewhere else on your web page, releases to the salt. This particular recipe did not specify whether to use regular salt or kosher salt. I am aware that kosher salt or other large flake salt is preferred for most recipes, but I always wonder if I should sometimes use regular just for the iodine since my wife and I try not to use a lot of salt generally. Is there a general rule for your recipes? And thank you so much for all the great meals we have enjoyed because of you!
KF
Hi Kevin, So glad you enjoyed the soup! For my recipes, you should use regular table salt or fine sea salt unless otherwise specified. Hope that helps!