Lentil and Vegetable Soup (Printable)

Hearty soup with tender lentils and roasted vegetables in a savory vegetable broth.

# What You Need:

→ Lentils

01 - 1 cup dried green or brown lentils, rinsed

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
03 - 2 celery stalks, diced
04 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
05 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
06 - 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Broth and Seasoning

10 - 6 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Finishing

16 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional
17 - Juice of ½ lemon, optional

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F.
02 - Toss carrots, celery, zucchini, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes until lightly caramelized.
03 - Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
04 - Stir in the rinsed lentils, roasted vegetables, vegetable broth, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes until lentils are tender.
05 - Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon juice as desired.
06 - Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like comfort without requiring you to stand over the stove the whole time, since the oven does half the heavy lifting.
  • The roasted vegetables develop this deep sweetness that makes every spoonful feel intentional, not rushed.
  • It's the kind of meal that gets better overnight, so making a double batch on Sunday sets you up for the whole week.
02 -
  • Don't skip the roasting step even though it adds 20 minutes—those caramelized edges are what separates this from tasting like generic vegetable soup.
  • Rinse your lentils before adding them because nobody wants grit in their soup, and sometimes there's more dust than lentil in that package.
  • The soup thickens as it sits overnight, so if you're reheating it, add a splash of broth or water to loosen it back up.
03 -
  • If you want to add richness without changing the base recipe, stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste when you add the garlic—it creates this subtle umami undertone that makes people wonder what your secret is.
  • Don't overthink the vegetable selection; use what you have and what's in season, because vegetables roasted with intention always taste better than a perfect grocery list followed exactly.
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