So it’s day 6 of UK lockdown, and it’s safe to say that I’ve gone a bit soup-making crazy- but it’s kept me busy so it’s all good! I created this high protein lentil soup recipe the other day as it keeps me feeling full across the day due to the protein rich lentils, and it’s also rich in other nutrients (like vitamin C- great for immunity) due to the other added veggies.
Despite it getting warmer I feel like this high protein lentil soup still hits the spot as it’s souper comforting (see what I did there haha) in this time of uncertainty! It’s also such a convenient vegan lunch option as it uses mostly simple ingredients that most of us would have in- perfect for these self-isolation times!
You can also double the batch size of this high protein lentil soup and freeze some of it, so you can easily defrost it when you’re running low of food/lacking the motivation to cook something fancy.
I like to blend 3/4 of the soup in a blender then combine it with the rest so that there’s still some chunky textures in there- but if you prefer a completely smooth soup then feel free to blend the whole thing.
For the stock, I like using Marigold’s Vegan Vegetable Powder, as I think it gives the soup a lovely flavour without being overly salty. You can get this from most UK supermarket retailers, but I’ve linked the amazon website for reference. If you don’t have this powder then don’t be put off, you can use 2 regular veggie stock cubes and use the same amount of water mentioned in the recipe below.
If you enjoy this high protein lentil soup you can also check out my other vegan soup recipes like my Chipotle Bean Soup.
In terms of serving suggestions, I love mine with a bit of hummus in pita but smashed avo/vegan butter on toast would also be tasty too.
Lentil and Carrot Soup
This high protein lentil soup is a great lunch option for an 'indoorsy' day- it's comforting, tasty and mostly requires store cupboard ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, I used rapeseed but olive/sunflower oil is fine
- 1 large onion
- 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
- 3 carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 medium sweet potato, thinly chopped (roughly 1cm cubes)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed (or garlic powder)
- 150g dried red lentils, rinsed
- 1.4 litres boiling water
- 3 tsp veg stock powder, or 2 veggie stock cubes
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt and pepper
Instructions
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Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the onion and celery, and cook and until softened (roughly 3 minutes).
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Add the carrot, sweet potato, garlic and ground cumin, and fry for a further 3 minutes.
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In a measuring jug, add freshly boiled water (1.4 litres) and the stock powder/cube and stir until diluted.
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Add the stock mixture along with the lentils to the pot. Turn up the heat the that the liquid starts to boil. Cover and reduced the heat to a simmer, cook gently for 25 minutes so that the vegetables are soft. If you prefer a chunky soup serve as is (unblended).
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[OPTIONAL FOR A SEMI CHUNKY SOUP] Pour 3/4 of the soup into a blender and pulp. Pour the blended soup back into the pot and stir to combine with the unblended soup.
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[OPTIONAL FOR FULLY BLENDED] Pour all the soup in a blended and pulse until you reach the desired consistency.
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Serve with hummus with pita, or avo on toast.
Awesome Recipe, I enjoy my soups. These Lockdown Lentils are gonna be the one!
Author
Glad you’re enjoying them ♥️- these soups will get us through lol
This soup sounds delicious, but I have one small problem with the recipe. The red lentils are measured in grams, which I know is a weight, but I would like to know what it is in cups? Thanks for the translation!
Author
Hi Terry,
Thanks for the feedback! 150g lentils is just under 1 cup. let me know how you get on 🙂
I’ve been looking for high protein vegan soups, and came across this recipe.
Looks simple enough for me, as I’m no cook.
Thanks.,
Author
that’s great to hear!