Tomato, lentil carrot soup is a must-add to your recipe repertoire if you need a quick and easy meal the whole family can enjoy. This easy recipe comes together in just 20 minutes with a handful of pantry and fridge staples, this is one meal you will find yourself turning to time and time again, especially on a cold day. A great way to start the week off with meatless Mondays. Easily made ahead of time and simply reheated for lunch or dinner throughout the week.
Why You Need This Healthy Carrot Soup Recipe
Other than tasting amazing and being jam-packed with all good things, this easy soup recipe is also:
- naturally gluten-free
- dairy-free
- vegan
- vegetarian
- easily made ahead of time and kept in the fridge or freezer
- freezer friendly
- kid-friendly
- a one pot meal: everything cooks together in one large pot which means less dishes for you.
Only a handful of simple ingredients are required, and none of them require a trip to a specialty store.
Bonus: most of us likely have a huge bag of red lentils at the back of the pantry that has been there for months, this is a great recipe for finally using them.
Oh, and it tastes delicious too!
Ingredients
Coming together in just 20 minutes, this creamy carrot soup is easily adaptable to the varying tastes of every family member.
Making it the perfect midweek meal.
You are going to need a handful of simple ingredients:
- Tomatoes: choose flavorsome in-season tomatoes. If you have the extra time I would recommend peeling the tomatoes for a smoother soup;
- Carrots: I don't bother peeling my carrots, so I choose organic and simply give them a good scrub, but feel free to peel them if preferred;
- Red Lentils: we are using dried lentils for this recipe. They will become mushy when cooked, but seeing as it's a soup, and we will be blending half of it anyway, this is not a concern, and rather aids in giving the soup the creamy consistency we want;
- Onions: brown onions preferably;
- Garlic: fresh garlic is always best, I wouldn't use garlic powder as it does not give you as much flavor;
- Turmeric: powdered turmeric can be found in the spice section of most well-stocked grocery stores;
- Mustard Powder: this can also be found in the spice section;
- Vegetable broth: choose whatever you like here. I always have some Homemade Vegetable Stock From Scraps on hand, but you can make your own from powder if preferred. You can also use a chicken broth or 'chicken style' broth here if you want to keep it vegetarian;
- Lemon: fresh is best if you have it available.
You will also need a drizzle of olive oil or other cooking oil of choice.
The soup is able to be made ahead of time and simply reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave when dinnertime rolls around, making it perfect for meal prepping.
Add some traditional bread croutons or some kale croutons for something a little bit different and you are good to go.
Substitutions and Variations
If you have the time I recommend peeling the tomatoes as it gives the soup a much smoother finish. Please see notes on the recipe card detailing the easy steps required to peel a tomato.
Make It Spicy
I like to make this a spicy tomato and lentil soup for myself, adding a few dashes of chili flakes once served so I don't get any whinging from the kids.
It also pairs really well with curry powder, which can be added during the cooking process, or sprinkled on top once ready to serve.
Make It For A Meat-Eater
If you have a diehard meat eater in the family then simply add some shredded chicken to the soup when serving.
Make It Smooth
For this version of carrot soup, I blend half of the batch of soup and mix that in with the rest, so it's a little bit creamy but you get a nice bit of texture in there too.
For those 'smooth-soup-lovers' feel free to go ahead and blend the whole thing. This is perfect if you want to enjoy it as a soup drink from a mug or a thermos.
I use an immersion blender when blending the whole batch to negate the need for extra dishes from using a blender or food processor.
The red lentils give a great creaminess to the soup without the need for heavy cream, which means it stays naturally vegan and dairy-free.
Serving Suggestions
This hot soup can be served in a number of ways depending on preferences.
I like to serve mine with some fresh crusty bread, a squeeze of lemon juice, and some chopped parsley.
It also pairs well with:
- Basic Homemade Air Fryer Croutons
- Quick Pesto Croutons
- a drizzle of coconut cream, coconut milk, fresh cream, or Greek yogurt on top for extra creaminess
- a sprinkle of finely sliced green onions
- a sprinkle of dukkah on top
- a sprinkle of fresh ginger added when serving for a more zippy flavor
- a sprinkle of chopped roasted peanuts
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. After this time transfer soup to freezer-friendly containers and freeze it for up to 6 months.
I tend to freeze mine in a couple of small portions so I can just pull out what is needed instead of a whole batch.
Need More Lentil and Pulse Recipes?
I don't know about you but I always tend to have lots of jars and containers of lentils, chickpeas, and other dried pulses hanging out in the pantry.
Let's use up some more with these delicious recipes:
- Healthy Cauliflower Soup With Carrot Cumin and Lentils
- Easy Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
- Simple Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce (Instant Pot)
- Moroccan Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
- One Pot Indian Pumpkin Curry With Chickpeas
- Homemade Pappadums From Scratch from The Things We'll Make
Happy Eating
xx
Recipe
Aromatic Tomato, Lentil and Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or cooking oil of choice
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 brown onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes (more to taste optional)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 3 large carrots, diced into roughly 2cm cubes
- 4 medium tomatoes (I used Truss) see notes for tips on skinning tomatoes (optional)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup red lentils rinsed
- ½ lemon juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Once heated, add the onions and garlic and allow to sweat for about 2 minutes. They should be tender but not starting to brown yet.2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 brown onion
- Add the mustard powder, chilli and turmeric, and stir to combine.1 teaspoon mustard powder, ½ teaspoon chilli flakes, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- Add the carrots and sauteé for about 3 minutes, until they have softened slightly.3 large carrots,
- Add the chopped tomatoes, stock and lentils and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.4 medium tomatoes (I used Truss), 4 cups vegetable stock, 1 cup red lentils
- Remove from the heat and add in the lemon juice.½ lemon
- Remove 2-3 cups of the soup and blend until smooth. Add back into the main saucepan, add salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.salt and pepper to taste
Notes
- Remove the stems and tops.
- With a small knife (I find a serrated knife works best), score the skin of the tomato on top, to make a large X.
- Place the tomatoes in a bowl or deep saucepan and cover with boiling water. Place a plate on top of the tomatoes to keep them submerged under the boiling water for about 5 minutes.
- Drain the tomatoes from the water and once cool enough to handle, peel the skin from the tomatoes.
- Chop roughly and set aside until ready to use.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Josephine says
I used a tin of chopped tomatoes. It is delicious! Might leave out the chilli next time as the flavours of the tomatoes, lentils and carrots would be a wonderful flavour on their own I think.
Nora says
A wonderful soup for the chilly season! I especially like that you add turmeric. The intensifies again the taste of the wonderful ingredients!
Susan says
A whole lot of nutritious stuff in here. Thank you for the recipe!
Mitch says
This soup was incredibly flavorful! The perfect way to warm up for colder winter weather. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Cindy says
Very nice recipe!
Changes made because of what I had on hand were:
instead of vegetable stock I used 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube
1 large sjallot instead of an onion
2 tomatoes with skin on
mustard seed instead of powder
and instead of chili flakes I used this very nice spice:
BiPiA French Piment d'Espelette AOP en Poudre.
Also, instead of blending I just stirred it for a few minutes
until I was happy with the texture.
Hubby approved!
Jacqueline McKay says
This soup is so easy to make and delicous.
Thank you for letting me use your recipe Donna
Donna says
Glad you enjoyed Jacqueline!
Liz says
Made this today for lunch tomorrow ,soup is always nicer the next dayI think ,looking forward to it as it tastes lovely today 😊thank you for sharing 🙏
Donna says
So glad you enjoyed it, and I am totally with you on soup always tasting better the next day!
James says
Wow. This soup really looks good and delicious. The presentation is great. I will definitely try this one. And based on the ingredients. It very nutritious. Maybe I can cook this for my friends. I'm sure she gonna love this.