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You are here: Home / Recipes and Cooking Tips / Spicy Lentil Soup

Spicy Lentil Soup

February 25, 2023 by Alea Milham 18 Comments

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This spicy lentil soup recipe is easy to make! This vegetarian lentil soup is frugal and delicious! It's a hearty and filling meatless meal that is perfect for lunch, or dinner.
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This spicy lentil soup recipe is filling and delicious!

spicy lentil soup recipe in a bowl with a bread roll on the side

I was so excited about discovering one-pound bags of organic beans marked down to 50 cents that I did not look carefully at the varieties I was picking up. At first, I was disappointed when I realized that one of the bags I brought home turned out to be lentils because I was planning on making bean soups. Then I remembered that lentils are easier and quicker to cook than beans, so I decided to come up with a quick vegetable soup recipe using lentils.

Lentils do not require soaking like beans. They only take 20 minutes to cook, smell great while cooking, and are quite tasty. To save time making lentil soup, I cook the lentils in the soup pot for 10 minutes, then add the rest of the soup ingredients and cook them while the lentils finish cooking.

My pickiest eater has declared this his new favorite soup and went back for seconds and I’ve decided lentils are my new favorite frugal source of protein.

Spicy Lentil Soup Recipe

The vegetable lentil soup recipe includes tomatoes, peppers, and spices which add a little bite to it.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • 3 cups water
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (How to Make Vegetable Broth)
  • 4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and diced
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes (or a 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes with the juices)
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • ½ teaspoon marjoram
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

  1. Drizzle the olive oil over the bottom of a large soup pot. Turn heat to medium-high. Add the diced onion to the olive oil and saute for 4 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
  2. Add the lentils and water to the pot. Raise the temperature to high. Bring the water to a boil. Place the lid on the pot tilted, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Add the vegetable broth, carrots, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, and diced tomatoes to the pot. Stir in the thyme, marjoram, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once the soup reaches a boil, lower the temperature to medium, but make sure the soup continues at a low boil.
  4. Cook for 10 minutes or until the carrots are fork-tender.

a soup pot with spicy lentil soup being ladled

Printable Recipe for Spicy Lentil Soup

spicy lentil soup recipe in a white bowl
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Spicy Lentil Soup Recipe

Easy recipe for spicy lentil soup
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword lentil soup recipe, Spicy lentil soup recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 135kcal
Author Alea Milham

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • 4 cups water or vegetable broth
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 celery ribs diced
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 jalapeno pepper diced
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • ½ teaspoon marjoram
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Drizzle olive oil over the bottom of a large soup pot. Turn heat to medium-high. Add the diced onion to the olive oil and saute for 4 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
  • Add the lentils and water to the pot. Raise the temperature to high. Bring the water to a boil. Place the lid on the pot tilted, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add the vegetable broth, carrots, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, and diced tomatoes to the pot. Stir in the thyme, marjoram, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once the soup reaches a boil, lower the temperature to medium, but make sure the soup continues at a low boil.
  • Cook for 10 minutes or until the carrots are fork-tender.

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 497mg | Potassium: 454mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2988IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 3mg

More Lentil Recipes

Greek Lentil and Rice Salad

Curry Steak with Spicy Lentils

Do you have a favorite recipe using lentils? 

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About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Jenn says

    February 22, 2012 at 7:25 pm

    I have been wanting to try a lentil soup, I hear they’re good for you – I’ll keep this in mind!

    Reply
  2. Jan says

    October 12, 2010 at 10:49 pm

    This is a wonderful Lentil Soup recipe
    Moroccan Spiced Lentil Soup
    1 fennel bulb chopped fine
    1 red onion chopped fine
    1 yellow onion chopped fine
    ¼ c. olive oil
    2 -14 ounce cans chopped tomatoes with their liquid
    ½ tsp ground ginger
    ½ tsp ground turmeric
    ½ tsp ground cinnamon
    pinch of crushed chillies
    2 cloves garlic chopped finely
    Pinch of saffron
    4 cups vegetable stock
    1 c. dried lentils picked through and rinsed
    4 sprigs cilantro
    4 sprigs parsley
    2 bay leaves
    2 tbsp sugar
    salt & pepper
    1 can chick peas drained & rinsed

    Charmoula
     Mix 4 tbsp. cumin, garlic, jalapeno pepper and lemon juice in food processor to make a puree. Pick cilantro
    Off stems and add to food processor along with lemon zest and salt and pepper. Pulse mixture a couple of times scraping it down from the side of the bowl in between pulses. The mixture should resemble a rustic pesto
    Place in tightly closed container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

    Soup

     Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat
     Add chopped fennel and gently cook for a few minutes while fennel releases its natural juices
     Add red and yellow onion and sauté until soft and translucent
     Add tomatoes with their liquid and turn heat up until mixture comes to a complete simmer and add the ginger turmeric, cinnamon garlic and saffron and crushed chillies
     Let mixture cook together for about 5 minutes and then add broth, lentils cilantro and parsley sprigs and bay leaves and bring to a boil.
     Add sugar salt and pepper and stir mixture a couple of times and then turn heat down to low and cover pot and let simmer for about 25 minutes
     Add chick peas and let heat for about 10 minutes
     Check seasoning and season again with salt and pepper . Remove bay leaves, cilantro and parsley sprigs and serve with 1 tbsp of Charmoula on top.

    Reply
  3. Nicole Feliciano says

    October 11, 2010 at 3:45 am

    Love lentils. Tis the season for soup!

    Reply
  4. Pam says

    October 10, 2010 at 5:48 pm

    This sounds and looks delicious and I must give lentils a try!

    Reply
  5. Alea says

    October 10, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    Oh Deb, Your soup sounds wonderful! This is definitely going on my menu this week!

    Reply
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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

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