This simple lentil vegetable soup recipe is naturally hearty, but also vibrant and light. Green lentils and a mixture of chopped fennel, carrots, celery, and onions fill out the seasoned vegetable stock of this creation. Garlic, fresh rosemary, lemon zest and juice, plus a finishing hit of miso flavor this pot of goodness that cooks up in 35 minutes on the stove. You get deep umami from the miso, woodsy comfort from the rosemary, and the unmistakable bright notes of lemon. This vegan soup strikes the perfect balance of ease and coziness. Like most soups, it gets better as it sits, so it’s perfect for meal prep!

Simplicity is the name of the game with this vegetable lentil soup. I love the earthy flavor of lentils in combination with pine-y and woodsy fresh rosemary. Lemon and garlic naturally fit in here as well. With this powerhouse flavor trio, it’s hard to go wrong! This pot is packed with aromatic vegetables like fennel, celery, carrots, and onions that are first sautéed for a solid 10-12 minutes for maximum flavor development. I know that this sounds like a long time, but it adds so much to the final result!

This soup is minimal in terms of ingredients, so I do think it’s important to start off with a delicious vegetable stock. Homemade is ideal if you can swing it! My recipe for that is linked in the ingredients list below. Beyond that, I recommend seasoning well with salt and pepper and making any adjustments that you need to at the very end. I always find myself tweaking a soup in the final stages with acidic components, salt, pepper, something with a bit of heat etc.

More lentil soups!

• Ginger Sweet Potato Coconut Milk Stew with Lentils & Kale
• Smoky Vegan French Lentil Soup with Tomatoes & Tarragon
• 40-Minute Lemony Red Lentil Soup with Spinach & Spices
• Creamy Mushroom Barley Soup with Lentils & Dill
• Deep Green Lentil Stew with Spinach, Tahini & Lemon

If you want to add more vegetables, a couple handfuls of chopped spinach or kale would be nice here! Just drop them into the pot towards the end of the simmering time so that they get a couple minutes to wilt. I love to enjoy this soup with drizzles of chili oil or chili crisp on top (love this one). If you also crave the spice, I highly recommend it.

Hope you love this more simple offering from my kitchen! It hits at 12 ingredients (minus oil, salt and pepper), which is pretty minimal for me! If you’ve made any of my soups before, you know I like to load them up with spices, herbs, umami-boosters etc. Sometimes the pure goodness of the ingredients is just the thing though. Enjoy!

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Lemony Lentil Vegetable Soup with Rosemary & Fennel

Make this simple lentil vegetable soup with roughly 12 ingredients and about 35 minutes of cooking time. Miso brings savory depth and lemon perks up the earthy lentils and vegetables. This vegan soup is light and hearty at the same time!

5 from 6 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
• 2 medium carrots, small dice
• 2 sticks celery, small dice
• 1 medium bulb fennel, cored and chopped small
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ¾ cup green lentils
• 6-8 cups vegetable stock (see note)
• 1 tablespoon light miso
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ⅓ cup chopped flat leaf parsley (optional)
• chili oil, for serving (optional)

Notes

• I say 6-8 cups of vegetable stock because I tend to like this on the much more soupy end with 8 cups of stock. Other folks might prefer a thicker texture. I recommend starting with 6 cups and going from there.
• Take your time sautéing the vegetables in the first step. I know 10-12 minutes sounds like a long time, but it’s a lot of vegetables! You’re building a ton of flavour in this stage.
• This soup has minimal ingredients, so I do recommend a super flavorful homemade vegetable stock here.

Instructions

• Heat a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Once hot, pour in the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and fennel all at once. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Sauté until vegetables are quite soft, about 10-12 minutes.
• Add the garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, and coriander to the pot. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the lentils and stir. Add 6 cups of vegetable stock and stir once more. Place the lid on top and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and leave the lid on top, slightly askew so that some steam can escape.
• Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Place the miso in a bowl and add a couple ladles of hot broth from the soup on top. Use a spoon to "dissolve" the miso into the broth. Pour this mixture into the soup and stir. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley, if using.
• Check the soup for seasoning and adjust if necessary (more salt, pepper, lemon juice etc). Enjoy hot with chili oil on top if you like.

Author: Laura Wright

Course: Soup

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword: carrots, celery, chickpea miso, chili oil, coriander, dutch oven, fall, fennel, garlic, green lentils, lemon, lentils, miso, olive oil, onions, rosemary, soup, soup pot, spring, summer, vegetable stock, winter