A creamy bowl of lentil soup – made with cumin, cilantro and potato to thicken it is the perfect way to warm up on a cold November night.
Creamy Lentil Soup
Creamy Lentil SoupI love lentils, this Chicken and Lentil Soup is on constant rotation in my house as well as this delicious Lentil, Avocado and Egg Bowl for lunch.
When I was a kid, most of our meals started with a bowl of soup. Lentil soup was often on the menu; because I was such a picky eater, the only way Mom got me to eat it was by pureeing it in the blender – I loved it!
As an adult, I’m no longer picky and I love lentils every which way, but I still find a bowl of this creamy pureed soup comforting, especially on a cold night. This makes a great first course, or serve it with avocado, rice and salad on the side to make it a meal. This is perfect for meatless Mondays if you use vegetable broth, gluten-free and leftovers are perfect for lunch – enjoy!
More Soup Recipes You May Enjoy:
Creamy Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup chopped scallions
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium chopped tomato
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 cup cup dried lentils
- 1 small red potato peeled and diced
- 4 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Optional:
- light sour cream
- 2 tbsp chopped scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the oil, scallions, garlic and tomato to the pot, season with salt and pepper.
- Cook stirring until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro, cumin and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the lentils, potato, broth and bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook until the lentils become tender about 30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf, and puree the soup in the blender in 2 batches (so it doesn't explode) until very smooth.
- Adjust soup with salt and pepper to taste, then ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, scallions and cilantro, if desired; serve immediately.
Can I used canned lentils instead?
What kind of lentils did you use and does it matter?
It doesn't matter but I used brown.
Yum! I just made lentil soup, but I've never tried pureeing it before! Can't wait to try this 🙂
Could I substitute red lentils. love them!
Oh how I LOVE lentil soup. This sounds great, Gina. Pinned it.
I love lentil soup – so hearty, comforting and simple to make. Can't wait to try your version.
I'm not that big a fan of the texture of lentils, so this is a great idea to get around that!
Oh boy; I have all the ingredients in the house; I will be making this tonite to bring to work for my lunch this week.
Thank you Gina
By the way – I just absolutely love your cookbook; I have bought 4 of them to give as Christmas Gifts to friends and family.
THANK YOU!!! Makes me so happy : )
Sounds good to me. Pinning it!!
What do you suggest to add for additional texture? Chicken, croutons, veggies?
Don’t puree all of it, this way it will be chunky.
That's a lot of scallions!
Yes, adds amazing flavor
Gina, For the scallions, do you use the entire scallion (the green part as well as the white part) or just the white part near the root? Thanks
both green and white!
Just got a big snowfall and the temperature dropped to -7. This was delicious! I used onion instead of scallions and canned lentils. Super easy recipe!
this is winter perfection (plus, I LOVE lentils in the winter).
Just made this and it is absolutely delicious. Used chopped onion because I had no scallions. Used parsley instead of cilantro. Otherwise, followed exactly and it was easy as well as scrumptious.
Delicious and healthy. Catherine
This looks so delicious and hearty! Super psyched to make it!
Mmm I first tried lentil soup when I moved to Scotland about six years ago, and was wondering how come I had never tried it sooner, or why it hadn't been a big thing back home in Norway.
Your recipe looks fantastic, and I love how hearty it is 😀 Mmmm thanks! x
Great!!
I love lentils – one of my favourite things to cook! I also love using yellow split peas or red lentils for the vibrant colour!
It sounds delicious. I usually use red/orange lentils for my lentil soups because they are prettier. I am not sure if it would make a difference to the texture, taste or nutrition. I buy them in the international aisle of my supermarket.
Does it matter that the tomatoes you find in the grocery aren't "farm fresh" this time of year? Do you have any recommendations on what kind is best to use? Thanks! Love your recipes!