This carrot and lentil soup, as well known as Spanish lentil soup or "Sopa de Lentejas", is an amazing one-pot meal to satisfy the whole family. Easy to prepare, healthy, hearty, and delicious, this plant-based lentil soup has everything you need for a busy-weekday meal.
What is Sopa de Lentejas (Spanish Lentil Soup)?
I remember eating "Lentejas" (lentils) since I was really really young. Sopa de Lentejas or Carrot and Lentil Soup has always been around for me and many Spanish families. I would say Spanish people eat more Lentil Soups than Paellas in their life!
Carrot and Lentil Soup is a hearty one-pot meal that resembles a lentil stew. It has a flavourful broth, a combination of spices such as coriander, cumin, curry powder, chopped veggies, green or brown lentils, and potatoes to make it heartier. At home, we love serving it with some plant-based protein such as tofu, but as lentils are a great protein source, you wouldn't need to add tofu.
Traditionally, some kind of meat is added to the Sopa de Lentejas, but at home, we keep this recipe vegan.
Lentil Soup is a staple recipe at home, just like this other Lentil Curry. We cook this meal almost weekly as is a healthy and nutritious meal that I can cook just using a Dutch oven, which is really convenient and mess-free. Both kids love it so do we.
Our Spanish Lentil Soup is:
- A one-pot meal
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Easy to make
- Healthy
- Hearty and filling
- Comforting
- Family-friendly (suitable for babies too)
- A family favorite
- A good source of protein and iron
How to make Sopa de Lentejas
Ingredients
Lentils. For our Carrot Lentil Soup, we use "lentejas pardinas" a type of brown lentil that cooks fast enough and you can easily find it in Spain. You can use any type of brown or green lentils for this recipe. Optionally, you can make this meal using red lentils, like the ones we use to make our own red lentil tofu, or protein wraps. but you will need to adapt the cooking time as they cook faster. If you are using canned lentils, you can add them at the end, when the rest of the ingredients are cooked. You will have to reduce the amount of water indicated in the recipe card.
Fresh veggies. This is a one-pot meal where you can add almost every veggie that you have in the fridge. I love making lentil soup when I have loads of veggies that need use as it cleans the fridge and makes a healthy meal at the same time. For our recipe, we use large carrots, green beans, leeks, yellow onions, garlic, tomatoes, and potatoes. Other veggies that we use sometimes are zucchini, cabbage, celery, spinach, sweet potato, or red pepper. You can as well use tomato paste or canned tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes.
Spice mix. For our Lentil Soup recipe, we use a regular blend that contains sweet paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, curry, and bay leaves. We add salt and pepper as well, to season the dish. We have made this dish so many times that we have tried different ingredients such as yeast flakes, chili powder, or chilli flakes to make it spicier, garam masala, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. They all work well, and depending on your taste, you can adjust the amount of spices you use or create your own spice blend.
Tofu. When we make this filling meal we like preparing some tofu to add on top. We marinade the tofu cut into small pieces with some soy sauce, sweet paprika, and maple syrup, so the taste resembles the Spanish Chorizo. Then we simply pan fry the pieces for a few minutes and add them to our lentil soup. Delicious!
Step-by-Step Method
- Using a Dutch oven or a large saucepan, heat some olive oil to medium heat. Add the onion and leek finely chopped. When they start to soften, add the spice mix and minced garlic, and stir until fragrant.
- Finely chop the carrots, fresh tomatoes, and green beans and add to the pot. Stir well, cook for a couple of minutes, and add a little water to deglaze the pan if needed.
- Add the lentils, and combine well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Pour the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, and leave cooking for about 20 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and keep cooking until the lentils are tender.
- Drizzle some white vinegar or lemon juice to enhance the flavors and serve with some bread or pan-fried tofu.
*To prepare the tofu, cut into small cubes, and using an airtight container, marinade with soy sauce, sweet paprika, and maple syrup. Mix well (shake the airtight container) and leave for about 10 minutes. Then add some oil to a non-stick pan and cook until the tofu cubes are golden brown.
This tofu will resemble Chorizo, which is normally added to Spanish lentils. Here you can find a full recipe from Minimalist Baker.
Serving Suggestions
Carrot and Lentil Soup or Sopa de Lentejas is a filling and comforting main dish. In Spain, is normally served with some crudités (finely sliced green pepper or radish), crusty bread or croutons, and a drizzle of white vinegar.
This filling one-pot meal can be served with a light and fresh green salad.
You can add some fresh parsley or fresh cilantro on top, yeast flakes, or if you want your lentil soup spicy you can add red pepper flakes or chili oil.
Adding some vitamin C to this hearty lentil soup will help your body absorb the iron from the lentils. You can do so by adding a squeeze of lemon juice or serving some strawberries, kiwi, or orange after the meal.
For our picky four-year-old son, we use an immersion blender or a high speed blender to blend his portion, as he prefers the texture of this meal when blended. Yung children may prefer a blended version of the meal. Our one-year-old toddler loves it just as it is.
Store and reheat
This is one of those meals that taste better the next day. Seriously, Lentil Soup tends to be perfect the day after you prepare the meal. When I cook this meal I prepare a big batch so we can have Lentil Soup for two days. Spanish families normally add cooked rice on the second day if there are not enough leftovers for everyone, to make a heartier dish.
You can keep this hearty soup in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze it using an airtight container for up to six months.
To reheat Carrot and Lentil Soup, use the microwave or a pot.
FAQ and Tips
Cook a big batch to have enough for another day.
You will thank me later! Enjoy this meal on the second day with some cooked rice. This stew tastes better the second day, I promise.
Can I use canned lentils?
Yes. I've been there too. Sometimes we don't have dried lentils at home and I normally always have canned lentils. They work great. Simply add them at the end and cook until they are warm, then your meal will be ready to serve. I recommend rinsing the lentils before adding them to the pot.
Do I need to soak the lentils for this Lentil Soup?
No. There is no need to soak the lentils to make this meal. The lentils will cook in the pot with the rest of the ingredients.
Can I make Sopa de Lentejas in advance?
Yes, Sopa de Lentejas can be made in advance. In fact, like many soups, such as our Arabic Lentil Soup or this Tomato and Pepper Soup, it often tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld together. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.
Can I make this using an Instant Pot?
Yes. Add all the ingredients to the instant pot and cover with water. Cook until the pot starts to steam, keep cooking for 8-10 minutes more, open the pot, and serve.
Make this soup creamy
You can make this dish creamy and add this to the list of your favorite creamy soups! All you need to do is add some creamy coconut milk at the end and stir well. Another option is to add a drizzle of coconut milk on the plate, right before serving.
Add Vitamin C
Adding some vitamin C to this hearty lentil soup will help your body absorb the iron from the lentils. You can do so by adding a squeeze of lemon juice or serving some strawberries, kiwi, or orange after the meal.
Spanish Lentil Soup (Sopa de Lentejas)
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 1 leek
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- 3 large carrots
- A handful green beans
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 cup dried lentils
- 6 cups vegetable stock or water
- 2 potatoes
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar optional
- 250 g tofu
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion and leek and mince the garlic.
- Heat some oil to medium heat using a large pot. Add the onion and leek and when they start to soften, add the minced garlic and the spices, and stir until fragrant.
- Finely chop the carrots, fresh tomatoes, and green beans and add to the pot. Stir well, cook for a couple of minutes,
- Add a little water to deglaze the pan if needed.
- Add the lentils, and combine well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Pour the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, and leave cooking for about 20 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and keep cooking until the lentils and potatoes are tender.
- Drizzle some white vinegar to enhance the flavors and serve with some bread or pan-fried tofu.
Tofu
- To prepare the tofu, drain any excess water and cut it into small cubes.
- Using an airtight container, marinade with soy sauce, sweet paprika, and maple syrup. Mix well (shake the airtight container) and leave for about 10 minutes.
- Add some oil to a non-stick pan and cook until the tofu cubes are golden brown.
- Serve on top of the Lentil Soup
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Nat says
This soup is amazing! I would never have thought of putting curry powder or vinegar in soup but they both really make it so delicious! I've made it loads of time now and always use carrots, potatoes & tomatoes plus any other veg in the fridge that need using up so it's a really versatile recipe.