This simple Leek and Lentil Soup with carrot is easy and cheap to make. It has a lovely smooth texture, is filling, dairy free, and suitable for vegans. Just gently fry the vegetables and spices, add the stock and lentils and simmer then blend it all together.
Homemade soups are so versatile and simple to make. For another easy soup with red lentils try this Roasted Red Pepper and Lentil Soup. Carrot and Cumin Soup has an earthy depth to it or for more spice try my Sweet Potato Chilli and Ginger.
Red Lentil and Leek Soup pairs well with these Cheese and Courgette Muffins or these easy 3 ingredient Cheese Biscuits.
Jump to:
Ingredients
This soup Recipe uses just a few simple ingredients.
- Split Red Lentils – split red lentils work well in a soup as they don’t need soaking and cook quickly. Find them in stores with other grains or beans.
- Leeks – choose firm leek with white stalks. Slice off the bottom part with the roots and discard the dark green leaves. Slice the white flesh and light green part width ways.
- Spices – cumin, paprika, and ground coriander go well together and add a depth of flavour.
- Ground Coriander – coriander is known as cilantro in the USA. Ground coriander is a spice with a slightly spicy lemony flavour.
- Lemon – this helps lift the flavour.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making this simple carrot leek and lentil soup takes just over 30 minutes and can be made on the hob or stovetop, all in one pot.
Fry the onion, leeks, and carrot in a pan for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the spices and garlic and fry for 1 minute.
Add the vegetable stock and red lentils and simmer for 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick.
Blend the soup in a soup blender or with an electric hand whisk. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir through the lemon juice and serve.
Top Tip
Blending the soup gives a lovely creamy texture, but you can leave some vegetable chunks in if you prefer.
Substitutions
The beauty of homemade soups is that you can add in other vegetables to use things up and reduce food waste.
- Other vegetables that go well include:-parsnips, celery, cabbage leaves, spring greens or chard.
- Lentils – split red lentils cook quickly. You can also use green lentils or brown lentils but they will require longer cooking. The colour will also be different.
- Gluten Free – if you need to make this soup gluten-free, be sure to use a gluten free stock. Some stock cubes contain gluten but you may find stock pots are gluten free and suitable for coeliacs. Always check the ingredients.
Toppings for Red Lentil and Leek Soup
Toppings not only look great when served on top of a soup, they can also add to the flavour.
- Herbs – add fresh parsley leaves or coriander (cilantro) leaves.
- Spicy – a few dried red chilli flakes will help spice up the flavour.
- Seeds – pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds are great toppings
- Feta Cheese – the strong flavour of feta cheese pairs nicely with the leek and lentils.
Serving Suggestion
Serve with some of the toppings mentioned above and some fresh crusty bread. It also pairs well with one of these recipes
Equipment
For this recipe, you will need the following :-
- Large Pan
- Measuring jug
- Electric hand whisk or blender
Sustainability
Soups are a great way to use up vegetables that are past their best. The spices in this soup recipe, cumin, paprika, and ground corinader are available to buy as Fairtrade. Lemons can also be bought as Fairtrade along with black pepper and olive oil. Fairtrade helps support some of the world’s poorest farmers and helps them tackle the challenge of climate change through adapting their farming methods whilst caring for the environment.
Storage
You can store Leek and Lentil Soup in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. It will also freeze well for about 3 months.
Green Tip
Did you know that Lentils have a very low carbon footprint, help conserve water and promote bio-diversity? They are a sustainable food and a nutritious way to bulk out soups, stews, casseroles and even burgers (patties).
FAQ
Blending the soup with an electric hand whisk or in a soup blender will give a nice thick creamy texture. If you want to make it even thicker, you can stir through small chunks of bread. Be careful not to use too much liquid when cooking the lentils.
When making vegetable soups, one of the first steps is to ‘sweat the vegetables’ which means cooking them over a gentle heat with a lid on your saucepan. This process helps to soften the vegetables and draws out their flavour. It only takes a few minutes but if you wanted to skip this process, as long as the vegetables were allowed enough time to cook and soften during the simmering stage, you could. However, you may find the flavours not so good.
More Homemade Soup Recipes
Looking for other easy homemade soup recipes like this? Try these:
Did you try this recipe?
Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @realmealdealuk on instagram
📖 Recipe
Leek and Lentil Soup with Carrot
An easy and cheap soup with a lovely smooth texture and deep earthy flavours.
Toggle On to prevent your screen going dark
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Fry the onion, leeks, and carrot in a pan for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 Leeks, 1 Onion, 1 Carrot
-
Add the spices and garlic and fry for 1 minute.
1 teaspoon Cumin powder, 1 teaspoon Paprika, 1 teaspoon Ground coriander, 2 cloves Garlic
-
Add the vegetable stock and red lentils and simmer for 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
200 g Dried split red lentils, 1 litre Vegetable stock
-
Blend the soup in a soup blender or with an electric hand whisk. Season with salt and freshly groud black pepper, stir through the lemon juice and serve.
1 Lemon
Notes
Ingredient Notes
-
- Split Red Lentils – split red lentils work well in a soup as they don’t need soaking and cook quickly. Find them in stores with other grains or beans.
-
- Leeks – choose firm leek with white stalks. Slice off the bottom part with the roots and discard the dark green leaves. Slice the white flesh and light green part width ways.
-
- Spices – cumin, paprika, and ground coriander go well together and add a depth of flavour.
-
- Ground Coriander – coriander is known as cilantro in the USA. Ground coriander is a spice with a slightly spicy lemony flavour.
-
- Lemon – this helps lift the flavour.
Storage
You can store Leek and Lentil Soup in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. It will also freeze well for about 3 months.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 310kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 15gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 1019mgPotassium: 717mgFiber: 18gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 4097IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 6mg
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.