Tomato Soup with Lentils

Homemade tomato soup is an amazing staple to master cooking. It is great on its own, an awesome dipping sauce for sandwiches, and can even stand in as pasta sauce when needed. Plus, you can make delicious homemade tomato soup in about 30 minutes, and it freezes well. So make a big batch and call it done! Both of my kids love homemade tomato soup, and I was surprised that they loved it even more when I got a wild hair one day and added red lentils to the soup for extra protein. Now we add red lentils to it every time. I love happy accidents.

Speaking of happy accidents. Once, when making this tomato soup with lentils, I forgot to blend the veggies before adding lentils to the soup. My kids refused to eat their favorite soup because it was chunky. Same ingredients, only difference was texture, oh kids! So I had a bunch of soup leftover, and you know what I did. I blended it up, beans and all, and poured it over pasta. Lucian then proceeded to tell me that it was one of his favorite pasta sauces. Crafty mom’s always win. But take a note from my story and just blend the veggies to avoid battles at the dinner table. Really, if that’s all I have to do to get my kids to eat a veggie bean soup, believe me, I will blend away any day.

Immersion Blenders Are Your Best Friend

I really do love my immersion blender; it is one of those lifesaver kitchen tools that I often pull out when I’ve screwed something up. It is especially wonderful for blending hot things that you don’t want to pour into the blender, risk burning yourself, and making a hot mess. My favorite immersion blender is the Mueller Immersion Handheld Blender; it’s super basic and just gets the job done. Apparently, it has 8 speeds, who knew? I only use one, turbo. If you don’t have an immersion blender but want to try this recipe, you have 3 options: chunky style, pour the hot soup into your blender, blend until smooth, and then transfer it back to the pot on the stove, or buy the immersion blender.

Safety First

Please be care when using your immersion blender. My rule is to always put the blade attachment on BEFORE plugging it in. I’ve known people who’ve about cut off fingers using these, don’t be one of them!

Why You Should Eat More Lentils

Lentils are one of the oldest domesticated crops in the world, how cool is that? They come in many colors and varieties and are a healthy, affordable staple for feeding the world’s population. Although Canada grows more lentils than anywhere in the world, they are popular in many different regions and cuisines. Lentils are a wonderful superfood, they contain a whopping 25% protein. Not to mention they are tasty! I especially like the flavor of red lentils that are used in this soup recipe.

According to Healthline 1 cup of cooked lentils contains the following:

• Protein: 17.9 grams
• Fat: 0.8 grams
• Fiber: 15.6 grams
• Thiamine: 28% of the DV
• Niacin: 13% of the DV
• Vitamin B6: 21% of the DV
• Folate: 90% of the DV
• Pantothenic acid: 25% of the DV
• Iron: 37% of the DV
• Magnesium: 17% of the DV
• Phosphorus: 28% of the DV
• Potassium: 16% of the DV
• Zinc: 23% of the DV
• Copper: 55% of the DV
• Manganese: 43% of the DV

That’s a whole lot of fiber and nutrients. One happy mama that my kids love their lentils! Now let’s get down to cooking!

Tomato Soup with Lentils

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

The ultimate comfort food, a delicious bowl of homemade tomato soup with red lentils. A meal on its own or great for sandwich dipping. Yum!

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 8-10 servings
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, washed and chopped
• 1 celery rib chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 32oz box of low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup of dried red lentils

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Add the olive oil to a soup pot, turn the heat on the stove up to high. Add the chopped onion to the pan, stir regularly to avoid burning. Cook on high until the onion is translucent and starts to brown, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the rest of the garlic, carrot, celery, red bell pepper, and dried thyme to the pot. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Turn heat down to medium-high if needed.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth. Using a handheld immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.
4. Bring the soup to a boil and then add the dried red lentils. Stir the soup to break up any clumps of lentils. Cook for 15 minutes, until lentils are tender. That’s it! Time to enjoy!

Notes

Can be frozen and stored for up to 6 months. If you like spice add some Aleppo pepper or red chili flakes. We also like to add these at the table so everyone can control their own spice level.