Green Lentil Soup – The clever meal
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more details.
This green lentil soup makes a budget-friendly one-pot meal that is a hit with the entire family. It’s vegan, healthy, loaded with plant-based protein, and absolutely delicious.
Published in October 2020/updated in May 2026
Although the temperatures are getting warmer here in London, I would love to re-share another terrific vegetarian staple I grew up eating. A super simple recipe that uses basic ingredients, minimal effort, and turns green lentils into an incredible, healthy, flavorsome soup.
Join my newsletter for free weekly recipes!
Inspired by my Italian pasta with lentils, this green lentil soup is jazzed up with ginger, cumin, and coriander, a combination that packs a deliciously warm spicy flavor.
And you get a wonderful, thick texture by simply partially blending the soup. You might also add a small potato, cut into chunks, to the lentils for more body and thickness.
Finish with some fresh lemon juice and crusty bread to dunk in, and you’ll have a wonderful vegan and vegetarian meal, with the whole family begging for seconds!
This green lentil soup is so delicious, easy to customize, freezer-friendly, and absolutely great year-round.
Let’s see how to make it!
Watch how to make it
List of the ingredients
How to make green lentil soup
(Note: this is a quick description; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page.)
- Sauté the diced carrot, onion, and celery in olive oil.
- Stir in garlic and spices.
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Cook until the lentils are tender (about 30 minutes).
- Scoop out half the soup, blend it, and return it to the pot.
- Serve with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, some fresh lemon juice, and more black pepper, if you like. Serve and enjoy with crusty bread to dunk in, such as easy crostini, Italian panini bread, or crispy croutons!
Recipe notes
Green lentil soup ingredients
Soffritto: If you’re a bit familiar with my recipes, you know soffritto is an essential flavor base to any Italian soup. It’s basically a mixture of diced carrots, celery, and onion sauteed in olive oil until translucent. Then add garlic, and cook just until fragrant before adding the main ingredients. This is the same method used for this iconic pasta e fagioli, or pasta with chickpeas. Soffritto is a must and brings plenty of flavors.
Lentils: Lentils are nutritional powerhouses, flavorful, inexpensive, and essential kitchen staples. They also add a creamy, hearty texture to the soup. Green lentils are very popular in Italy, but you can substitute them with brown lentils; they work just fine.
Spices: Although cumin, coriander, and ginger are not popular ingredients in Italian recipes, I absolutely love how they work with lentils. I love big flavors, and this combination delivers a flavor punch without being overpowering.
Broth: You can use vegetable or chicken broth, or even water. The addition of tomato paste and bay leaves makes the broth richer and flavorsome, but you’re welcome to skip them if using a broth or stock that is already very flavorful.
Seasoning + lemon juice: Make sure to taste it before serving and to adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to add freshness and a bit of acidity that elevates the flavors.
How to customize it
If you fancy a twist or you just want to add more nutrients, here’s what I can recommend:
- Vegetables: Feel free to add more veggies such as carrots, cherry tomatoes, or a leek instead of the onion. Stir in leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or Swiss chard in the last few minutes of cooking.
- More protein: If you’re not vegan, consider adding some roasted, shredded chicken or a generous handful of grated Parmesan. For more plant-based protein, you can add canned chickpeas or white beans to add extra nutrition. Remember to adjust the seasoning and liquid accordingly if needed.
Storage tips
The green lentil soup leftovers taste even better and keep well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container. You might need to add a bit of water to warm it up on the stovetop or in the microwave.
It’s also freezable: divide among airtight containers (leaving 1 inch of space at the top) and freeze for up to 2 months.
Looking for more lentil soups?
If you make this delicious green lentil soup recipe or if you have any questions, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you!
For more recipe updates, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Green Lentil Soup
This green lentil soup makes a budget-friendly one-pot meal that is a hit with the entire family. It’s vegan, healthy, loaded with plant-based protein, and absolutely delicious.
Servings: 6
Calories: 283kcal
- 1½ Tablespoon olive oil or extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
- 1 medium-sized onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 large celery rib, diced
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 cups (400 grams) green lentils or brown lentils
- 6 cups (1440 ml) vegetable broth, or chicken broth (low-sodium)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste, or 1/3 cup diced tomatoes (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ – 1 teaspoon fine salt, or according to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to serve
- 1 small potato, cut into chunks (it’s optional, add it if you prefer a thicker texture)
- fresh lemon juice, to serve
-
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
-
Then add garlic, spices, and cook for one minute, stirring continuously.
-
Add the remaining ingredients, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until lentils are soft.
-
Turn the heat off, let it cool slightly, and remove the bay leaves. Then transfer half of the soup to a blender, blend, return the soup into the pot and give a good stir. Alternatively, you can use a hand blender to whizz only part of the soup.
-
Now taste and make sure you’re happy with the seasoning and consistency; you might want to add more salt and pepper to suit your taste (this depends on the broth used). And add a little bit of water if you prefer a thinner soup.
-
Serve it warm, with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, and a little squeeze of lemon juice for freshness. Don’t forget crusty bread, enjoy!
Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 403mg | Potassium: 720mg | Fiber: 21g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2262IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 5mg
Join my newsletter for free weekly recipes!
PakarPBN
A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.
In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.
The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.
Leave a Reply