A version of this vegan French lentil soup is one of the first things I learned how to make when I decided to go 100% plant-based! I didn’t grow up eating a lot of soup, so was intimidated by the idea of making my own. I also wasn’t super familiar with lentil recipes in general. The flavors of dried tarragon and smoked paprika combined with French lentils, and canned tomatoes were an instant winner. I love how hearty and simple the recipe is! I even included the recipe in my cookbook.

French green lentils have a nice little toothsome bite that give some body to this soup. Pretty much all of my favorite vegan soups have lentils in some form, like this Smoky Chickpea, Cabbage & Lentil Stew with Kale.

This tomato lentil soup is very simple to prepare and follows typical methods. I have perfected it over 10 years in my home kitchen! You sauté aromatic onions, carrots and celery on the stove, add some spices and herbs to the pot, let the French lentils simmer for about 30 minutes, and then adjust your seasonings and enjoy. I like to pre-game this one and make it a day in advance. The overnight “marinating” really helps the flavors shine.

I use a lot of olive oil as the base of this recipe. The volume of oil helps to stew the onions, garlic and herbs so that they “melt” into the soup, meshing all of the flavors seamlessly. The smoked paprika is probably the most key element here overall. It brings the smoky edge and also contributes to the gorgeously rust red color.

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Smoky Vegan French Lentil Soup

My favourite smoky vegan French lentil soup with canned tomatoes, smoked paprika, tarragon, and garlic. A simple recipe that's ultra satiating with only 10 core ingredients.

5 from 16 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 55 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings 8

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, small dice
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, small dice
• 1 stick celery, small dice
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 ⅓ cups french lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 6 cups vegetable stock , plus extra if needed
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup chopped parsley (optional)

Notes

• I love to serve this soup with a drizzle of olive oil, maybe a a sprinkle of chili flakes, and some good bread.
• You could use crushed tomatoes instead of diced for a thicker, more stew-like vibe!

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for at least 10 minutes, stirring them around frequently. They shouldn’t sizzle too loudly! This is a slow-cooking kind of process, so turn the heat down if you think they’re cooking too fast.
• When the onions are quite soft, add the thyme, tarragon, and paprika and saute for another 5 minutes, stirring here and there. Add the garlic and stir until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the carrots and celery and cook for another 8-10 minutes, until all vegetables are soft.
• Add the can of tomatoes and stir to coat vegetables. Cook out and simmer the tomatoes for about 5 minutes. Add the drained lentils and stir to coat in the vegetables, oil and tomatoes. Add a splash of the stock and scrape any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
• Add remaining vegetable stock to the pot. Give the whole mix a good stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, return pot to a simmer, cover with a lid and allow to cook for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Check in on the pot once in a while and give it a stir. Season the finished soup liberally with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley, if using.
• Serve the soup hot.

Author: Laura Wright

Course: Main Course, Soup

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword: french lentil soup recipe, lentil soup recipe, vegan lentil soup