Seriously Easy Red Lentil Soup

I make this easy red lentil soup recipe at least once a week for my family – if you follow my stories on Instagram, you’re probably sick of my weekly soup night, sorry. I just can’t resist it – it’s so easy to make (only 5 ingredients!!). It’s also a great fridge clearer, as you can throw in whatever vegetables you have in the fridge, and it always turns out beautifully. So rich and creamy!

This red lentil soup is a really budget-friendly meal – plus, it’s an easy way to serve my kids vegetables that they wouldn’t eat in their non-blended form (i.e. most vegetables). When it’s all blended up together, the soup is smooth, creamy, and really tasty. We love it served with a dollop of Greek yogurt on top, and some garlic bread on the side for dipping!

🥗 Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

• red lentils – You need to use the red ones. Brown and green lentils won’t work as well in this soup, as they don’t become as soft and creamy as red.
• vegetables – I used a couple of carrots and a bell pepper. I often add different veggies, depending on what I have in the fridge. I try to use fairly cheap vegetables for soup, like broccoli, carrots, or tomatoes – it seems a waste to blend up anything too expensive (unless it’s in dire need of being used!).
• vegetable stock – I use a stock cube, crumbled into the soup with some water. If you prefer to use liquid stock, you can use that instead of the equivalent amount of water (for example, the recipe calls for 6 cups of water, so if you have 4 cups of liquid vegetable broth, use that, plus an additional 2 cups of water).
• red pesto – This is my favourite way to add tons of flavour to my lentil soup! You could easily switch this for a dollop of curry paste, tomato sauce, or some dried herbs or spices (perhaps cumin or paprika) to give the soup a different vibe.

Optional garnishes:

• a dollop of Greek yogurt (I always add this for my kids, as it helps to cool the soup down!)
• grated cheese
• more red pesto (which looks so pretty)
• fresh herbs (fresh parsley, chives or basil would be tasty)

📹 Recipe Video

🔪 Equipment

Soup is always easiest to blend with a hand blender (immersion blender) – it means you don’t need to worry about transferring a hot pan of soup into a tabletop blender, which can be pretty terrifying. An immersion blender just goes straight into the saucepan, which is quicker, easier, and much safer.

My hand blender is nothing fancy, but it does the job perfectly. I’ve never found the expensive ones to be any better than a standard, cheap model. This one on Amazon US / Amazon UK (affiliate links) looks perfect, comes at a great price, and has really impressive reviews.