Lentil and Vegetable Soup (Printable)

A warming bowl featuring tender lentils, roasted vegetables, and aromatic herbs in a rich vegetable broth.

# Ingredient List:

→ Lentils

01 - 1 cup dried green or brown lentils, rinsed

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
03 - 2 celery stalks, diced
04 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
05 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
06 - 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Broth & Seasoning

10 - 6 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Finishing

16 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional
17 - Juice of ½ lemon, optional

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss carrots, celery, zucchini, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes until lightly caramelized.
02 - Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
03 - Stir in rinsed lentils, roasted vegetables, vegetable broth, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes until lentils are tender.
04 - Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon juice as desired. Serve hot garnished with fresh parsley.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's hands-off enough that you can roast vegetables while prepping the aromatics, making the whole thing feel less like work and more like you're orchestrating something.
  • The roasted vegetables give it a depth that boiled-everything soups never quite achieve, and your guests will ask what makes it taste so good.
02 -
  • Roasting the vegetables first is non-negotiable if you want this soup to taste like something special rather than just boiled produce in broth—that caramelization is where the real flavor lives.
  • Don't skip the bay leaf and don't forget to remove it; that one leaf is doing more work than you'd expect, and finding it in your spoon is an unnecessary surprise no one wants.
03 -
  • Don't crowd your baking sheet when roasting or the vegetables will steam instead of caramelize—give them space to breathe and develop that caramelized edge.
  • If your broth is unsalted, taste the soup before you add the final seasoning because undersalting is an easy mistake that makes everything taste flat and forgettable.
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