Roasted Veggie And Tomato Lentil Soup Recipe

If you love the wholesome goodness of a warm bowl of soup, you'll love this number with roasted veggies, hearty lentils, and fresh herbs. While there are many ways to make lentil soup, this recipe elevates the humble source of plant-based protein by combining it with the caramelized flavor of roasted tomatoes, carrots, onion, and celery. Taking a cue from roasted tomato soup, the tomatoes get tossed into a blender and pureed to enhance the broth with the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, along with an appetizing color and creaminess.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "Lentils are a staple in my house. I use them in all sorts of ways, but I particularly love them in this soup because the balance of protein and fiber makes it a comforting, nourishing meal in itself." Whip up a batch of this wonderfully satisfying soup that will keep well in the fridge all week for any time you need a quick meal.

To shop for this recipe, you'll be spending some time in the produce department. Pick up some grape tomatoes, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh oregano, Tuscan kale, fresh Italian parsley, and lemon. Round out your store visit with some vegetable broth and brown lentils, then check your pantry for avocado oil cooking spray, salt, black pepper, dried basil, and red chile flakes.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Spread tomatoes on one side of a baking sheet and add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic on the other half.

Spritz vegetables with avocado oil cooking spray, season with black pepper and ½ teaspoon salt, and toss to combine. Roast for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, add broth, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lentils to a large pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Transfer roasted tomatoes to a blender and blend until smooth.

When lentils are done, remove thyme sprigs and add blended tomatoes and roasted onion, carrot, and celery to the pot.

Squeeze roasted garlic into the pot.

Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, basil, red chile flakes, and chopped kale. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice.

Garnish soup with fresh parsley and serve hot.

There are many ways to customize this lentil soup recipe. To start, you have some flexibility with the vegetables. If you would rather use another tomato variety, that will work as long as you use firm tomatoes. "My first choice after grape tomatoes would be plum tomatoes," Hahn shares. Other vegetables you can add to the baking sheet are chopped zucchini, diced asparagus, quartered mushrooms, sliced red peppers, or even chopped broccoli. "One of the nice things about this soup is you can make a new version of it every week with the produce you have on hand," Hahn says.

The fresh herbs in the soup add quite a bit of flavor, but if you would prefer to use dried herbs, this will work fine and be more budget-friendly. Hahn says to use 1 teaspoon each of dried thyme, oregano, and rosemary if you plan on skipping the fresh varieties.

If you'll be serving this soup as a main dish, pair it with warm slices of crusty bread, baguette, or even garlic breadsticks — perfect for dipping into the soup and soaking up all the saucy bits while adding some extra crunch.

To get a little fancier, go for bruschetta with a mixture of diced tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. The fresh and tangy tomato mixture will contrast beautifully with the roasted tomatoes in the soup. Or, opt for smoky-sweet roasted red pepper crostini by combining roasted red peppers, garlic, fresh parsley, and a touch of olive oil in a blender and spreading it on small toasts. 

Of course, green salad is always a nice accompaniment to soup. A basic blend of mixed greens, spinach, or arugula needs only scallions, cucumber slices, and a light vinaigrette for a fresh pairing with your hearty lentil soup. Other tasty options to align with the Mediterranean flavors in this recipe include Caprese salad or Greek salad.