Red Lentil Soup with Spinach is a delicious, Middle Eastern inspired Lentil Soup, made with red lentils, turmeric, spinach, carrots and lemon. It’s golden in color, and very easy to make and leftovers are freezer-friendly.
Red Lentil Soup
I love lentils and lentil soup. One of my staples is this Chicken and Lentil Soup made with green lentils. This Persian recipe, which I recreated from a meal I had at a Persian restaurant is amazing, a new favorite! Directions included for stove or Instant Pot!
I tested this recipe a few times to get the consistency just right on the stove and in the Instant Pot. Since I had so much soup, my daughter Karina brought some to her boyfriend and he went crazy over it! Since I made so much, I froze the leftovers so now I have soup for another night. This tastes just as good heated up for leftovers the next day.
To Meal Prep:
I like to make soup for meal prep. I make a large batch of soup, enjoy it for dinner and freeze or refrigerate the rest.
To Refrigerate: Keep covered and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in microwave in 30-second intervals until heated through.
To Freeze: Divide into individual freezer-safe containers. Freeze, covered for up to 3 months. To reheat, transfer to the refrigerator or reheat from frozen in 30-second intervals until heated through.
Tips:
- For a thicker soup, puree half of the soup with an immersion blender for a creamier texture.
- Anytime I convert a stove top recipe to the Instant Pot, use 1/4 cup less broth since there is no evaporation.
More Lentil Recipes You May Enjoy:
- Lentil Bowls with Avocado, Egg and Cholula
- Asparagus with Green Lentils and Poached Egg
- Creamy Lentil Soup
- Lentil Salad
- Lentils and Rice with Bacon and Egg
Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 16 ounces red or yellow lentils (I used red), (2 1/3 cups )
- 8 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 cups baby spinach, 2 oz
- Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
Stove Directions:
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the onions and carrots and saute until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring.
- Add the chopped garlic, turmeric and cumin and continue cooking for 2 - 3 minutes more.
- Stir in the lentils, add the broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat.
- Toss in parsley, spinach and stir in lemon juice and serve.
Instant Pot Directions:
- Press saute and add the oil to the insert, add the onions and carrots and saute until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring.
- Add the chopped garlic, turmeric and cumin and continue cooking for 2 - 3 minutes. Press cancel.
- Add the lentils and broth, cover and cook on high pressure 15 minutes. Natural or quick release.
- Toss in parsley, spinach and stir in lemon juice and serve.
Last Step:
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Nutrition
Photo credit: Jess Larson
