Lentil soup is a great recipe that uses mostly pantry staples and can handle a lot of substitutions if you don’t have all the ingredients. Try this spiced lentil soup recipe for an easy and delicious lunch or dinner option.

I love making soup as part of my meal prep plan because it can be eaten on its own or paired with a salad or sandwich as part of a larger meal. Plus, so many soups, including this spiced lentil soup, are freezer friendly so I can double the recipe and freeze half for later. 

You can substitute many of the ingredients listed for things you might have on hand or simply leave them out. A few ideas include:

• If you don’t have leeks, you can use onion only. Or, use all leeks if you don’t have an onion or need to use up a large amount of leeks.
• Replace the fresh carrots with canned or thawed, frozen carrots. Just be sure to dice whichever option you choose and add them in later so they don’t turn mushy.
• Don’t have fresh tomatoes? You can used canned diced tomatoes instead. Just be sure to drain them well.
• You can substitute chicken broth or even water for the vegetable stock if needed.
• I used red lentils but any lentil will work fine. 

This freezer friendly soup recipe always gets rave reviews when I make it. I often pair it with a grilled cheese or salad. Some great recipes to pair with this chickpea lentil soup are:

1. Stone Fruit Salad
2. Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
3. Turkey Apple Grilled Cheese
4. Roasted Vegetable Grilled Cheese

Of course, this soup is hearty enough to stand alone as a meal too! Grab a slice of crusty bread or homemade naan and enjoy.

If you love this spiced chickpea lentil soup recipe, be sure to check out these other delicious recipes for soup:

• Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
• Salmon Potato Soup
• Vegetable Quinoa Soup
• Thai Butternut Squash Soup
• Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup

If you make this recipe or any other recipe from the blog, I’d love to hear about your experience. Let me know in the comments or snap a photo and tag it #MySuburbanKitchen on Instagram or Twitter.

Yield: 10 servings

Spiced Chickpea Lentil Soup

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A delicious, hearty soup that is made with simple, easy to find ingredients.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp oil or ghee
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 leeks, cleaned and diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 Tbsp harissa
• 32 oz vegetable stock
• 1 cup red lentils
• 3-4 roma tomatoes, large diced
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• Salt and pepper
• Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat oil or ghee in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, leeks, and carrots. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Add garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Stir in cumin, turmeric, paprika, crushed red pepper, and harissa. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in vegetable broth and lentils. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
4. Stir in tomatoes and chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 5-10 minutes or until tomatoes are softened and soup is heated through.
5. Serve topped with Greek yogurt or sour cream if desired.

Notes

1. Don't add salt until lentils are softened. Salt or other acidic ingredients can cause the lentils to stay crunchy even when fully cooked.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 126Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 453mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 6g