This red lentil soup or “stew”, depending on how much water you choose, is not only healthy and absolutely delicious, but it’s also extremely budget friendly with basic ingredients. It also makes a big pot, so it’s great for batch meals or a large family.
This recipe is actually from a patient of my dad’s. My mom made it on Christmas Eve and put her own spin on it with adding more garlic, curry, cayenne, and pepper. It was amazing. I then made it and was low on curry powder, so I did 1/2 TBSP curry powder with 1/2 TBSP chili powder and it also tasted great.
So use this as your base recipe and feel free to change it up depending on your taste buds.
The original recipe card also has a lemon & parsley option which is always good for a simple lentil soup.
I did majorly cut down on the salt in the original recipe since I try to keep my salt intake lower, so just salt to your preference.
Red Lentil Soup or “Stew”
Ingredients
- 4 stalks celery, sliced
- 7 large carrots, coined
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 tsp oregano
- 1 TBSP curry powder or chili powder, I do 50/50 or 1 TBSP curry + 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 7+ cups water, start with 7 and add a little more as it cooks to thin it out a bit if desired
- 1 pound red lentils, rinsed well
- 3 TBSP tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
Method
- In a large stock pot, sauté the celery, carrots, onion, and garlic for about 10 minutes. I sauté with water to keep it fat-free, but original recipe uses olive oil.
- Stir in the spices – oregano, curry/chili powder, cayenne.
- Add the water, red lentils, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Bring to a low boil first and then cook on a good simmer. Simmer until the vegetables are soft and the lentils are fully cooked. I let it cook with the cover off for about 15 minutes and then put the cover on to fully cook the lentils. (The cover is needed to prevent the soup from sticking to the bottom of the pot.) Stir here and there and add a bit more water as needed.
- Once it is almost ready, stir in the salt & pepper to taste. Add in a dash more of curry or chili powder if desired as well. Adding the salt at the end cuts down on the need to use excess salt as the taste is more forward. Remove the bay leaves prior to eating.
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Red Lentil Soup or “Stew”
Ingredients
- 4 stalks celery sliced
- 7 large carrots coined
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 tsp oregano
- 1 TBSP curry powder or chili powder or even a mix of the two
- 1/4 tsp cayenne optional
- 5-7 cups water depending on how thick you want it – I do 7
- 1 pound red lentils
- 3 TBSP tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt more to taste (original recipe has 2 1/2 tsp)
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, sauté the celery, carrots, onion, and garlic for about 10 minutes. I sauté with water to keep it fat-free, but original recipe uses olive oil.
- Stir in the spices – oregano, curry/chili powder, cayenne.
- Add the water, red lentils, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Bring to a low boil first and then cook on a good simmer. Simmer until the vegetables are soft and the lentils are fully cooked. Cover off.
- Once it is almost ready, stir in the salt & pepper to taste. Stirring salt in closer to the end cuts down on the need to use excess salt.
Notes
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