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Vegetable Soup with Lentils & Seasonal Greens – a delicious, hearty and rustic soup with vegetables simmered in a rich flavorful broth with wilted seasonal greens & lentils
This is what I crave lately … a hearty rustic soup loaded with vegetables simmered in a rich flavorful broth with wilted seasonal greens and lentils. There are so many varieties of lentils available but this French variety (I used Bob’s Red Mill) hold their shape amazingly well. Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse full of fiber and protein and boast an impressive amount of folate, iron, phosphorus and potassium. Lentils make a great addition to most any soup, chili, and even salads.
While we (sadly) try to avoid bacon and other processed meats, I do miss the smokey flavor it adds to a vegetable dish. Did you know Smoked Paprika is a great spice substitute for smokey bacon flavor? This delicious Vegetable Soup with Lentils & Seasonal Greens is proof that you don’t have add meat or give up flavor to eat healthy. A pinch of cayenne rounds out the broth so no need for lots of salt.
Serve with a hearty rustic loaf of whole grain bread for the perfect winter meal.
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Vegetable Soup with Lentils and Seasonal Greens
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 small leek cleaned and sliced (white and light green parts only)
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 4 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 cup butternut squash chopped into 1/2-inch cubes (*see notes)
- 1 pound baby Bok Choy greens cut as a chiffonade, white parts sliced and added with the carrots and other vegetables (*see notes)
- ¾ cup llentils rinsed and drained (French or Puy)
- 32 ounces low-sodium vegetable broth or stock
- 14 ounce no-salt chopped canned tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Drizzle the olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven with a heavy bottom. Heat on medium until hot. Add the chopped onion and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and thyme and sauté until the mixture darkens in color.
- Add the leeks, celery, carrots, butternut squash, white portions of the Bok Choy and the lentils. Stir gently to coat all vegetables in the olive oil then add the vegetable stock, chopped tomatoes, paprika and cayenne. Season with a little salt and black pepper. Cover the pot with a lid and gently simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add the chopped greens and parsley. Heat uncovered until the greens are just tender.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and black pepper. Serve with a hearty whole grain bread if desired.
Recipe Notes
- Substitute rutabaga or turnips for the butternut squash.
- Use any seasonal greens such as Swiss Chard, kale, Cabbage or spinach in place of the Bok Choy if desired.
- Cut vegetables about the same size so they will cook evenly.
Nutrition
All the decorations are packed away for another year. The cold weather has finally come to Virginia so it’s starting to feel more like winter. We were downtown yesterday and saw a Forsythia bush in bloom. They are always the first to bring flowers in spring but I’m afraid they will freeze this week. It felt like spring for a while 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful New Year! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
Kristen Berry
Do you have nutritional info for the portion size??
Tricia Buice
Hi Kristen – I’ve added the nutritional information to the recipe! Thanks
Debbie
Can this be frozen?
Tricia Buice
Hi Debbie – If you are trying to make the soup ahead of time, I would omit the greens, and add the just before serving. I think leftovers will freeze just fine, but I haven’t tested freezing this soup. We always end up eating it until its gone. Thanks – hope you enjoy!
Joy
I made this today for the first time, and added more butternut squash than what it called for, and just dropped in sprigs of thyme at the beginning and added more at the end. It was Delish!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Joy! Adding more butternut squash sounds like a great idea and I adore thyme – so I’ll have to try that too! Thanks again for the feedback. I adore this soup and so happy you liked it to. Have a wonderful holiday season and Happy Thanksgiving!
Marisol
I just made this today and it was absolutely amazing!!!! I was bad and added bacon as well as avocado. I doubled the recipe to have plenty of leftovers. Will definitely be making this again 🙂
Tricia Buice
Oh the bacon sounds wonderful! I love this soup and can’t wait to have it again – I think I’ll try the avocado too! Thanks Marisol!
Jeffrey
This soup is knockout! I’m a beginner cook – just finished class #2/3 of “Beginners Cooking Boot Camp” – and this seemed worth a try, lots of things to do. Glad my instructor taught be how to chiffonade.
I did everything as directed except extend simmering time to get the vegs a little stew-like. This is now one of my g0-to recipes. Thank you so much!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Jeffrey! I feel the same way about the soup and love trying it with swiss chard, cabbage or spinach too. Thank you very much for letting me know! Have a wonderful week.
Lisa
I haven’t really cooked in quite awhile, but I made this soup tonight, and it was the best thing I could have done for my family. We loved it! And it inspires me to keep cooking.
Tricia Buice
Homemade is always the best – thank you so much for commenting Lisa. I am thrilled your family liked it. I think it is delicious and this time of year I can’t get enough soup! Thanks again for commenting and reading SRFD!
ChefDad
Try adding the tomatoe paste while other veg are sautéing. Gives it a deep rich flavor that really knocks this outta the park. Thanks!
Tricia Buice
Thanks – sounds great!
Susan
Lentil soup is the best! Just made a delicious old-favorite recipe for me and my husband last week. Love those beautiful big chunks of butternut squash in yours, Tricia!
Tricia Buice
This weather just begs for soups and stews. Chunks of vegetables always make me happy!
2 sisters recipes
Lovely! It’s that time of year for soup – and we are on a mission to make them this month. Yours is so good – we can practically taste it right from your photos! Yummy Tricia! Have a great weekend!
Tricia Buice
Thanks so much Anna & Liz! Happy soup making 🙂
John/Kitchen Riffs
We eat loads of soup at this time of the year. So this is perfect for us! Love greens in legume/pulse soups — so much extra goodness and flavor, and they also add wonderful color. Thanks! And Happy New Year!
Tricia Buice
Me too John! Hope you and Mrs. Riffs enjoyed your holiday break – glad to have you back! Happy New Year!
Amy
We make a similar version of soup, I like your recipe much better.
Tricia Buice
Well that is sweet Amy! I bet your soup is great 🙂 Don’t you just love vegetables and lentils? I just feel better eating healthy!
Pam
This is a great soup for this chilly weather now, Tricia! I use smoked paprika every chance I get, love the flavor of it. Thanks for sharing!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Pam! Happy New Year!
Becky Green
This soup looks SCRUMPTIOUS, Tricia!!! I think I’ll be making soup for dinner tonight! Soup REALLY DOES satisfy on a cold winters night, with a rustic loaf of bread! 😉 I understand what you mean about the weather….we got snow this morning! BRRRR!!! STAY WARM!!! 😉
Tricia Buice
I’ve eaten it for three dinners in a row and am still not tired of it – thanks Becky!
Bonnie Hunter
It is soup weather here and there’s nothing better than a pot of lentil soup simmering on the stove. We are able to get unprocessed bacon and ham at Whole Foods. I agree that the smoky paprika is a delicious substitute!!
Best,
Bonnie
Tricia Buice
I do like the nitrate free products but save that for super special occasions 🙂 Hope you had a lovely holiday!
Monica
A great start to 2016, Tricia! That is one bountiful, hearty, beautiful bowl of soup. It is finally cold here, too! I wasn’t complaining but this does feel a bit more normal this way even if I’m freezing. Hope you had a nice NYE evening out…and here’s to a great new year!
Tricia Buice
Our NYE friends canceled on us! Can’t say that I lost any sleep over it 🙂 It was nice to snuggle down at home! Thank you so much for stopping by!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
There’s nothing blooming here 😉 While we had a green Christmas (very unusual), the week or so after Christmas has made up for it, with lots of snow and cold. Perfect soup weather though, so I’m loving this one! We live on soup in the winter, so can’t wait to try this.
Tricia Buice
This weather is crazy! Hope you dig out soon and hope you had a very Happy New Year!
cheri
Hi Tricia, your soup looks wonderful, I love lentils they are my favorite. Just packed the rest of my Christmas stuff today too, wishing you the best!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Cheri – have a wonderful week 🙂
Kate
This looks fabulous! Great soup for a blustery January day. I see this on my table soon. Thanks.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Kate!
Beth
Your soup makes me hungry, just looking at it! And I’m a big fan of smoked paprika – I use it any time I can.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Beth! This is a filling and satisfying soup – great this time of year. Enjoy!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Looks so very comforting and delicious, Tricia. Love your soup bowl too.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Angie 🙂 It is a tasty, healthy and filling dinner on a cold winter day.
Wendy
I think sometimes our cravings (probably not the chocolate/brownie ones) tell us what our body needs. This soup is exactly what I crave after days and days of rain and cold here in St. Louis! A beautiful bowl of warmth and flavor! I have several bags of lentils in the cabinet waiting to be part of this soup.
Tricia Buice
You are so right Wendy and I needed this soup! Have a wonderful week.
sue|theviewfromgreatisland
This hits the spot for a cold Sunday in January — I love your idea of using smoked paprika to substitute for the meaty flavor, it’s one of my favorite spices. As for lentils, Grant is mad for them, so this is on the list for next week!!
ps love that bowl 🙂
Tricia Buice
Thanks Sue – I bet Grant would like the one 🙂
Chris Scheuer
Yum, his looks so good Tricia! I love all the beautiful veggies. Our daffodils are starting to peek up after the two weeks of unseasonably warm weather (sad) but now it’s really cold and this soup would be fantastic for lunch or dinner! Don’t tell anyone but I’d even enjoy it for breakfast!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Chris! Crazy weather – our tree in the front yard is starting to leaf 🙁 Hope it recovers from the upcoming cold snap. Have a lovely week!