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Hearty lentil soup tag

Hearty Red Lentil Soup for a Warming Winter Meal

Have you tried red lentils?

I’ve gone for most of my life mostly unaware of red lentils. I’ve eaten plenty of ordinary brown lentils, and green split peas, but somehow missed knowing about the red lentils.

So…in case you’re like me:

Let me introduce you to Red Lentils! And a Simple Hearty Red Lentil Soup

First of all: you can get Red Lentils at pretty much any grocery store, and I normally grab a bag at Walmart in the bean aisle.

But the price is usually better buying in bulk if you can find the red lentils. The lentils below are the cheapest per ounce that I found on Amazon.com.

Affiliate links included.

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I personally like how pretty the red lentils are, and how they are so brightly-colored!

Note: Red lentils are quite different from Brown lentils! Brown lentils hold their shape for longer when cooked, and the red lentils behave more like split peas and disintegrate when cooked, resulting in a smoother soup or stew.

So, if you swap your lentils out, you’ll end up with a way different soup, in both texture, appearance and taste.

Different types of lentils
Different types of lentils

Let’s get started…

Hearty lentil soup recipe tag

Hearty Red Lentil Soup

Red lentil soup

 

Sauté the first ingredients together to blend flavors

The Ingredients

Combine in a large pot:

  • 3 Tbs Olive oil
  • 1 large chopped purple onion
  • A handful of garlic cloves
  • 1 Tbs onion powder
  • 4 celery stalks, chopped–include leaves
  • 1/2 bunch green onions, sliced
  • 2 Tbs Italian Seasoning
  • 2-4 Bay Leaves, if available
  • 1 Lb Red Lentils

Sauté everything over a medium flame. When warmed through, cover and cook over low-medium flame, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

When vegetables are soft (15 mins or so), add:

  • 2 quarts water or vegetable stock
  • 4 Tbs Nutritional Yeast Flakes

Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until lentils are soft–45 min to an hour or more. If your red lentil soup becomes too thick, add more water as needed.

When red lentils are soft, add

  • 1 1/2 Tbs Sea Salt, and continue to simmer until ready to serve.

Serve your hearty red lentil soup piping hot with crusty toast or homemade biscuits! This soup is delicious with croutons sprinkled on too!

You may easily adapt this recipe for your crock pot. Just combine every thing in the slow cooker and let it do its thing!

Celery and green onions

Making red lentil soup

Making red lentil soup

 

Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning

Making red lentil soup

And…that’s all there is to it!

Serve it up!
Making red lentil soup

 

Ready to eat!

Enjoy your Hearty Red Lentil Soup!

Best if enjoyed on a chilly day!

For a complete vegetarian meal, pair this soup with a Fresh Kale Salad, and whole grain toast topped with Perfectly Plant Based Pesto!

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Thanks for coming by!

See you next time!

Laurie

❄️

8 Replies

  1. YUM, looks good!! Thanks so much for linking up at A Themed Linkup 92 for Soup Recipes. Pinned!

  2. CONGRATS! Your post is FEATURED at A Themed Linkup 93 for Crafting with Bottles and Jars from the previous linkup for Soup Recipes.

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