When I’m coming back from feeling under the weather, simple and nourishing is exactly where my head goes. A lemony red lentil soup with lots of pantry-friendly ingredients and some baby spinach fits the bill almost every time. I love that this hearty one-pot meal comes together in about 40 minutes on the stove thanks in part to the quick-cooking nature of split red lentils. The texture gets nice and silky as the lentils simmer. Serve it with a thick slice of no-knead whole wheat bread for dunking.
I have you make up a spice blend first. The blend makes enough for 2 batches of soup and is also lovely on roasted vegetables. Out of all of the spices here, the sumac is the one I get most excited about. It has a tangy, lemony quality that pairs beautifully with the herbaceous thyme and citrusy coriander. The others (garlic powder, onion powder and paprika) are there to bump up the savory depth of the base.
I have a long history of lemony soups and this one fits right into that tradition. Red lentils are one of my favorite bases because they break down quickly and naturally create a silky, almost creamy texture without any blending. No extra equipment needed, just one pot on the stove and about 40 minutes.
The finishing touches are where this red lentil soup really comes together. Tamari adds the umami depth that vegan soups sometimes lack. Fresh lemon juice brightens the earthy lentils in a way I now consider essential. Over the years, my palate has shifted into acid-forward territory so I put lemon or lime in almost every lentil soup I make now. Baby spinach goes in at the very end. I always have it on hand for smoothies, it wilts in about 30 seconds, and its mild flavor works for people who find kale too assertive.
Free Recipe eBook!
25 of my most popular recipes (plus 2 that have never been published before), all in a beautiful eBook!
Enter your email and I’ll send it right over.
40-Minute Lemony Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
7 Spice Blend
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- ½ teaspoon ground chillies/chili flakes/Aleppo pepper
Lemony Lentil Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large shallot, small dice (about ½ cup diced shallots)
- 2 sticks celery, small dice
- 2 medium carrots, small dice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons 7 Spice Blend (see above)
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 ¼ cups split red lentils
- 5-6 cups vegetable stock (depending on how thick/thin you want your soup)
- 1 tablespoon Tamari
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 4 cups baby spinach, lightly packed
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- chopped parsley for serving (optional)
Notes
- You might find that the Tamari makes this soup salty enough! I would add that in, stir, give it a taste, and go from there. Same goes for the lemon. I really love a lot of acidity in my food, so I use a full 2 tablespoons. I would start with 1 tablespoon and see how you like it first.
- I love serving this with a bit of chili crisp on top.
- The spice blend makes enough for about 2 batches of soup
- If you want to make this ahead, I recommend making it right up to the point of adding the Tamari. Cool it down and pack into containers. Then reheat portions with fresh lemon juice and the spinach. This keeps the flavour of the lemon intact and the spinach from getting too squidgy.
Instructions
- Make the spice blend. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, coriander, dried thyme, sumac, and ground chillies. Stir together until combined and set aside.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the olive oil and swirl it around. Add the shallots, celery, and carrots to the pot and stir. Sauté this mixture for 10 full minutes, or until vegetables are soft on the edges and shallots are translucent. If the vegetables are browning too fast, lower the heat.
- Add the garlic, 7 spice blend, and lemon zest. Stir and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the red split lentils and stir. Add the vegetable stock and stir. Place the lid on top of the pot, slightly askew and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer until lentils are soft and breaking apart, about 10-12 minutes. Keep checking in and stirring it up here and there.
- Add the Tamari to the soup and stir. Give it a taste and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Stir in the lemon juice and check the soup for seasoning one more time. Serve the soup hot with chopped parsley, extra pepper, extra lemon etc!
made this twice last week, it’s so good especially the longer it sits. i made it with yellow split peas as i wanted to use them up & it turned out good but they had slightly more of a ‘bite’ than red lentils would! the first time i soaked them for 6 hours & they took ~1.5 hours to cook but i soaked them for 45 minutes the 2nd time & it took around the same time.
Last winter I tried a bunch of similar red lentil recipes and this was the clear winner.
I j ust made this soup added mushrooms as well; I should have stopped at 4 cups of broth for thickness…The 7 blend spice mix do you use in other recipes? ( I have left over).
How’s this for freezing; a lot of soup for one person…
Thank you for the recipe…
Hi Mia,
The soup freezes really nicely and I recommend using the leftover spice mix for roasted potatoes and other roasted vegetables!
-L
So, so, so yummy. I’m usually not a fan of lentils but this recipe is so perfect. The spices give it a delicious flavor, the combination of lemon zest and all the veggies are just on point. Thank you for a great new recipe to add to my list <3 Best lentil soup I’ve had.
This actually blew my mind. I made it with no expectations because how exciting can lentil soup really be? It is so delicious and definitely a new favorite for me.
Off the charts excellent! This thick, luscious and perfectly lemony soup hit the spot after what seems like an endlessly gray, cold Winter (and Spring, despite the calendar, is nowhere in sight!). It perked me right up after I inhaled a bowl. Wondered if I could forego the spinach it tasted so good but the spinach definitely adds a nice contrasting texture. Had a nice warm naan to go with it and ready to take on the rest of the day!
Lentils and seven-spice are such a good combo! I substituted the baby spinach with Tuscan kale because it’s what I had and it still turned out great.
This recipe is delicious, but it’s the SPICE BLEND that doing it for me. I’ve made it in a big batch and am putting it on everything!
OMG – this is my new go-to for a quick, super scrumptious lentil soup. The 7 spices give this a complex flavor without any effort. I didn’t have sumac and used lemon zest toasted on the stove top.
PS Happy that you’re back to 100%, Laura.
This is super yummy. I had everything but sumac. I also added in some broccoli to clean out my fridge. I will definitely make this again to use up the spice mix and thaw when I get more spinach in my CSA box.
Made this tonight for our family of 4, my husband grabbed a second bowl everyone enjoyed it! I did have to substitute a couple things because the store new me didn’t have them but I don’t think they impacted it much differently then the intent
I make a version of this soup, but love your spice blend recipe here (Love sumac, Love Aleppo pepper, Love thyme) and will try that next time. I usually make it with leeks and spinach, and use Herbes de Provence, to season. Will be nice to try a new take on a much loved standard in the monthly recipe rotation. Thanks!
Laura did you read my mind posting this today?! This is just what my soul needed! So so nourishing yet easy to throw together!
My 9 month old also enjoyed it – I just made the recipe with salt free broth, half tamari and no seasoning until I pulled her portion out and blended, a full family meal!
So glad you’re on the mend! This soup sounds delicious, especially the spice blend. Amazingly, I have all the spice ingredients in the house, but no red lentils. How do you think this would work with yellow split peas? I think they would “perform” similar to red lentils, versus small brown lentils (which I do have but sound less creamy and comforting than yellow split peas)
Hi Erika!
I think yellow split peas would be great here. They will probably need a full 25 minutes of simmering time though. And because of that, they may require more vegetable stock (which you can add as you go). Let us know how it goes if you try it!
-L
Making TODAY! Have everything and was wondering what to do with the carrots and spinach. Sounds scrummy. Can’t wait.