Description
A hearty and nutritious Lentil Vegetable Soup made with fresh vegetables, lentils, and Italian seasoning. This easy-to-make soup is perfect for a wholesome meal, featuring a no-oil sauté method and optional fresh spinach for added greens.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 5 oz. mushrooms, diced
- 8 oz. white potato, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 cups fresh baby spinach (optional)
Pantry
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or fire-roasted)
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Prepare Vegetables: Dice the onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, and potato. Set aside for cooking.
- Sauté Base Vegetables: In a stockpot over medium-high heat, add diced onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for about 7-8 minutes using 3 tablespoons of water or vegetable broth to avoid oil, adding more as needed until the vegetables soften and the onion is translucent.
- Add Garlic and Additional Vegetables: Mince the garlic while the base vegetables cook. When the onion is translucent, add the minced garlic, mushrooms, diced potato, and Italian seasoning. Stir well and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Add Liquids and Lentils: Pour in the diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and rinsed lentils. Increase the heat to bring the mixture to a light boil.
- Simmer: Once boiling, reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
- Finish with Spinach and Season: Roughly chop the baby spinach and stir it into the soup during the last couple of minutes of cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Thickness: For a thinner soup, reduce lentils to about 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup.
- Vegetable Variations: Feel free to substitute or add vegetables such as green beans, broccoli, kale, corn, peas, cauliflower, cabbage, or zucchini.
- Garnish Ideas: Garnish with fresh parsley, cilantro, basil, or sprinkle red pepper flakes before serving for extra flavor.
- Recipe originally published November 2016. Updated April 2023.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately 1.5 cups)
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Fiber: 13 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
