Curried Lentil Soup
A deliciously spicy curried lentil soup made extra hearty with the additional of pureed chickpeas. This soup comes together quickly and will quickly become an instant favorite!
I have been eyeing a new soup recipe for a while now and this Saturday night, I finally got around to trying it out. Unfortunately, I can’t take much of the credit for the fabulousness of this dish (it was originally from Bon Appetit), but I did add a couple of small changes to make it my own.
This soup hits all the spots: filling and satisfying, spicy, versatile, hearty, and healthy.
Sometimes curries can be overwhelming and include a ton of ingredients or spices that most people don’t already have in their kitchen. Though I love them, I have to admit that I don’t make as many as I would like because they do require so much planning ahead. How is this soup any different? It only contains one spice. No, that’s not a typo! And trust me, you would never guess based on tasting the dish.
The rest of the ingredients are simple, easily available, and I’m guessing most people already have them right at home in their pantry. It comes together in about 45 minutes and makes excellent leftovers for a hearty lunch or simple dinner.
The secret ingredient (ok, ok—it’s pureed chickpeas!) adds a richness and creaminess to the dish. Top it with a nice dollop of greek yogurt of European yogurt and you’ve got dinner on the table.
This soup is spicy! I used two tablespoons of curry powder, but I suggest you start with a tablespoon and a half and go from there. Curry powders vary tremendously in quality and heat, so make sure you adjust according to your taste preferences. If you do find yourself with a soup that is way too spicy, add an additional cup or two of stock to dilute and continue to simmer slowly.
Curried Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves minced, divided
- 1½ tablespoons curry powder or more to taste
- 1 cup French (Puy) green lentils green lentils
- 5 cups (1.2 L) low-sodum vegetable or chicken stock divided
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the chopped carrots and onions, add a sprinkle of salt, and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onions are translucent in color. Add half the chopped garlic and curry powder to the pot and cook for an additional minute or so, or until fragrant.
- Add the lentils and stock, reserving ¼ cup (60 mL) for the chickpea mixture. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer the soup for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, using food processor, puree the canned chickpeas, remaining garlic, lemon juice, reserved stock, and remaining 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of olive oil until mostly smooth.
- Add the chickpea puree and butter to the soup. Stir and season with salt as needed. Serve hot with a dollop with yogurt.
16 Comments on “Curried Lentil Soup”
Laura, when I wrote about saffron, I meant to say that the recommendation from the sardinian man to enhance the flavor was to place the saffron between something like parchment paper, not wax paper, and passing a warm iron over that the saffron layered between the parchment paper.
-Carol
WONDERFUL! Thank you so much!
Oh geez, the things bloggers do 😉 I’ve always been a big presentation person, but the whole photography part definitely adds a lot of time. I get hungry waiting!
Let me know if you try this one! It’s one of my new favorites.
xo Laura
LOL! I have eaten my fair share of cold food because i played around with the look or took too many pics! Remember when we would just eat our food sans picture and with an ugly look?
This look so good! I love lentils in the wintertime, but I’m getting bored with my old soup recipe. Perfect timing. I need to make this asap:)
Hi Jessica! Hmm..I’m going to think about this and get back to you. One idea might be a mixture of cumin and coriander, but I can’t guarantee it would taste as good. You could try a very mild curry and decrease the amount (if you really dislike it, than maybe not…). Thanks so much for asking! 🙂 I’ll be racking my brain for ideas over the next couple days for sure…
xo Laura
this sounds and looks fabulous! I am not a huge fan of curry, do you have any suggestions for a substitute that would work?
Thank you, thank you! I’m really excited to do this. Thanks for reading 🙂
Looks like a fabulous soup!! Gave you an award on my blog today!! 🙂
It really is, I promise. Make it! Lentil soup is one of those perfect comfort foods and having a curried version steps it up a notch.
Oh no, I would hate that! Lentils and curry are some of my favorite foods/flavors. Hmm..maybe you could just make it less hot and disguise it somehow. It was that good! 🙂
Thank you so much! I’m excited to share some random facts with everyone 🙂
xo Laura
This looks soooooo good!!!! I’ve been wanting to make lentil soup for a very long time and curry is one of my fav spices 🙂
This sounds amazing! My hubbs would never go for it though since he refuses to eat lentils AND curry. Crazy, right? We can never have Indian food!
Laura! Happy New Year 🙂 I’ve just nominated you for a Stylish Blogger Award… keep on cookin’, girl!