A comforting Vegan Red Lentil Curry Soup Recipe served with rice for an easy and filling meal. Gluten-Free, and Meal-Prep friendly.
This past year we have been experimenting with Asian flavors and pantry-friendly meals a lot. Being stuck at home there is little else to do but work, cook (and Netflix).
So when you’re running low on groceries, it’s pantry staples to the rescue.
This Vegan Red Lentil Curry Soup uses just a couple of ingredients you probably already have at home or can use decent pantry substitutions. It’s really easy to make, but the flavors are amazing, the lentils add protein and the curry spices add the much-needed heat.
Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- onion
- carrots
- celery stem
- garlic
- curry powder. You can use curry paste instead of the powdered curry mix if you have it, or blend your own curry mix with spices and herbs such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, and fresh or dried chilies.
- cumin. You can skip this if you don’t have it, but I find it adds a nice touch to the flavors.
- tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes were used in this recipe and rather large ones, at that. You can always substitute fresh tomatoes with canned.
- dry red lentils. You can swap the red lentils with yellow, but we do not recommend using brown or green lentils in this recipe, as you need soft lentils that can break down.
- vegetable stock
- coconut milk
- fresh parsley. Use coriander if you have it, but we have trouble finding it anywhere.
- cooked rice. This is for serving. You could replace it with rice noodles or garlic naan bread.
How to make this Vegan Red Lentil Curry Soup
To make this Red Lentil Curry Soup start by dicing your onion, carrots, and celery. Mince the garlic.
Next, heat a dollop of oil, add the vegetables to the pot, and gently fry them until they turn a bit softer, and the onions turn translucent. At this point, stir in the minced garlic and add the curry spices. We like to push the vegetables to the side and adding the spices to the center of the pot where we gently fry them until they turn darker. Then, we stir them with the vegetables. Do the same if you’re using curry paste.
Next, add diced tomatoes and let simmer for a couple of minutes, until the tomatoes start to break apart and soften.
Wash and drain your dry lentils, then add them to the pot along with vegetable stock and half of the coconut milk. Add a sprinkle of fresh parsley, then cook covered on low for 20-30 minutes. When the lentils start to break apart and turn soft, you’re done cooking.
Next, we like to run our stick blender through the soup, just roughly blending it, so we get a creamier soup texture.
Lastly, stir in the rest of the coconut milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.
How to serve the Vegan Red Lentil Curry Soup
We like to serve this lentil curry soup hot along with a serving of cooked long-grain rice. You could also serve with rice noodles or a serving of garlic naan bread.
Do you need to cook the lentils before adding them to the soup?
No, we do not pre-cook the lentils before using them in the soup. We also wouldn’t use canned lentils in this recipe. Just get a cup of dry red lentils, wash them under running water until the water runs clear, drain, and add them to the pot. They take only about 20-30 minutes of cooking time.
What kind of lentils can I use for this recipe?
We recommend using red lentils in this recipe. Yellow lentils would work as well, but do not use green or brown lentils, as they are too hardy for this recipe.
What goes well with red lentil curry soup?
We like to serve this lentil curry soup with some cooked long-grain or basmati rice. You could also serve with rice noodles or some hot garlic naan bread.
If you have any other questions about this recipe, feel free to leave us a comment!
Vegan Red Lentil Curry Soup
A comforting Red Lentil Curry Soup Recipe served with rice for an easy and filling meal. Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Meal-Prep friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, large
- 2 carrots
- 1 celery stem
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2 large tomatoes (or use 1 can of tomatoes)
- 1 cup red lentils, dry
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 400 milliliters coconut milk
- 1 tbsp parsley, fresh
- salt, pepper to taste
To serve:
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 2 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Dice 1 large onion, 2 carrots, and 1 celery stem.
- Heat a spoon of oil in a large pot and add in the diced vegetables, until they turn softer and golden in color.
- Add 4 cloves of minced garlic, give it a stir, then place the vegetables to the side of the pot, and add in 1 tbsp curry powder and 1/2 tsp cumin. Gently fry the spices until they darken in color, then mix them back with the vegetables.
- To the pot now add 2 large diced tomatoes (or use 1 can of tomatoes). Mix to combine and let simmer on medium for about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes soften.
- To the pot now add also 1 cup dry red lentils, that you have previously washed under running water, and pour over with 3 cups vegetable stock and half of the coconut milk (200 milliliters, or half a can), and 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley.
- Cover the pot with a lid and cook at low temperature for about 20-30 minutes, until the lentils are cooked and soft. Then, remove half of the soup out of the pot and blend it until smooth, then return to the pot (or alternatively, run your stick blender roughly through the soup).
- Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot with cooked rice (we like using long-grain rice, basmati, or jasmine rice), or some garlic naan bread.
Notes
If you don't have fresh tomatoes feel free to use a can of tomatoes.
For added spice, you can also add chili flakes to the spices.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 276Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 538mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 7g
Nutrition data is automatically calculated using Nutritionix and may not be accurate.
This recipe is brought to you by Hofer Slovenija.
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