Root Vegetable Red Lentil Soup

I love to keep a big batch of cozy, nourishing soup on hand to reheat for a warming lunch or light dinner. Root Vegetable Red Lentil Soup is the newest addition to my soup lineup. It has delicious, deeply warming flavours from the cumin, turmeric, ginger, and cayenne, and a hearty, chunky texture from all the diced vegetables. This soup is exactly what I want to be eating in the winter when the weather is cool and the days get dark at 4pm.

Table of Contents

• Root Vegetable Red Lentil Soup Ingredients
• Step One—Prepare the Soup Base
• Step Two—Simmer the Soup
• Step Three—Stir in the Spinach
• Step Four—Serve
• More Cozy Soup Recipes

Root Vegetable Red Lentil Soup Ingredients

To make this soup, you will need the following ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 large onion
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 large carrots
• 2 medium potatoes
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 cup red lentils
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 14 oz can of coconut milk
• 3 large handfuls of spinach
• Sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

Step One—Prepare the Soup Base

Start by preparing your vegetables; dice the onion, carrots, potatoes, and celery; mince the ginger and garlic. You want the pieces of onion, carrot, potato, and celery to all be roughly the same size.

Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the coconut oil and use a wooden spoon to coat the pot with the oil as it melts. Once the oil is shimmering, add the diced onion to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Transfer the diced vegetables into the soup pot and give everything a good stir. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Rinse the red lentils in a fine-mesh sieve, then transfer to the soup pot along with the spices. Stir everything well and cook for 2 minutes, gently toasting the spices. 

Step Two—Simmer the Soup

Pour in the broth—I like to use my homemade chicken bone broth, but you can use vegetable broth to keep this soup vegan/vegetarian-friendly—and coconut milk, stirring to incorporate them. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step Three—Stir in the Spinach

After 20 minutes, add the handfuls of spinach. Cook for another minute or two, stirring the spinach into the soup until it wilts. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Step Four—Serve

Serve the soup warm, garnished with fresh cilantro and a dollop of plain yogurt (optional). The soup will keep in airtight containers in the fridge for up to a week.

More Cozy Soup Recipes

If you’re looking for more cozy soups to make, be sure to check out these recipes:

Roasted Red Pepper + Cauliflower Soup

Creamy White Bean Soup

Tomato and Lentil Stew with Harissa

Warming Veggie Noodle Soup

If you make this recipe, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! I love to see what you all are making.

Feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews below. I love to hear from you!

Stay cozy out there!

Root Vegetable Red Lentil Soup

Starchy diced root vegetables and red lentils for the hearty base of this Root Vegetable Red Lentil Soup. Filled with warmth from turmeric, cumin, and coriander, and a little bit of zing from fresh ginger and cayenne pepper, Root Vegetable Red Lentil Soup is the perfect soup to cozy up with on a cold winter's day.

Author: Ashley

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 cups

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Equipment

• Large soup pot or Dutch oven
• Fine Mesh Sieve

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 large onion
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 large carrots
• 2 medium potatoes
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 cup red lentils
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 14 oz can of coconut milk
• 3 large handfuls baby spinach
• Sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Start by preparing your vegetables; dice the onion, carrots, potatoes, and celery; mince the ginger and garlic. You want the pieces of onion, carrot, potato, and celery to all be roughly the same size.
• Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the coconut oil and use a wooden spoon to coat the pot with the oil as it melts. Once the oil is shimmering, add the diced onion to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
• Transfer the diced vegetables into the soup pot and give everything a good stir. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes.
• Rinse the red lentils in a fine-mesh sieve, then transfer to the soup pot along with the spices. Stir everything well and cook for 2 minutes, gently toasting the spices.
• Pour in the broth and coconut milk, stirring to incorporate them. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• After 20 minutes, add the handfuls of spinach. Cook for another minute or two, stirring the spinach into the soup until it wilts. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed.
• Serve the soup warm, garnished with fresh cilantro and a dollop of plain yogurt (optional). The soup will keep in airtight containers in the fridge for up to a week.

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian