Easy Lentil Potato Soup Recipe
Easy Lentil Potato Soup Recipe – quick and simple to make, chunky, hearty and comforting meal, perfect for the cold weather. Nutritious lentils, rich in protein and fiber, combined with potatoes for a healthy and flavorful soup.
This Easy Lentil Potato Soup Recipe comes together in under one hour and is perfect for an effortless weekday family meal.
My family loves lentils and specifically lentil soup and I feel like I have to cook soups like this Easy Lentil Potato Soup more often.
This Easy Slow Cooker Lentil and Potato Chili is one of our favorite healthy meals.
I also have a recipe for Curried red Lentil Quinoa Soup and Red Lentil Soup Recipe.
It is so easy to make in one pot, but you can definitely try making it in a slow cooker.
A soup with lentils and potatoes
The first time I tried something similar I was impressed.
This combination of lentils and potatoes is perfect!
Why did I add potatoes to a lentil soup?
- Adding potatoes to this Easy Lentil Potato Soup makes is a lot more nutritious and filling.
- I’ve found out that soups with just lentils tend to often be pretty light and good for lunch or a side, but not a complete meal.
- My son also loves hearty soups like this Easy Lentil Potato Soup, so I needed to come up with more simple soup recipes.
- You can also blend it for small children.
I haven’t had a lot of time to cook 2-3 meals each day, that involve different courses, so recipes like this have been my favorite lately.
What lentils to use in this Easy Lentil Potato Soup Recipe?
- Green lentils work best in this Easy Lentil Potato Soup Recipe.
- This time I used a combination of red split, green and black lentils, that my husband had purchased online.
- I do not advice using red split lentils only, because they cook a lot quicker that potatoes.
- Either green or a combination like the one I used should work best.
What kind of potatoes to use in this lentil potato soup?
- I used a mix of small red and yellow potatoes, that I did not even peel, but any potatoes of your choice will work.
- You can also use sweet potatoes, but keep in mind that the taste will differ.
Easy Lentil Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic — minced
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 carrot, large — 3 - 4 oz
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce — optional
- 1 1/4 cups lentils — I used a mix of green, red split and black lentils, but green only work great.
- 12 oz potatoes — cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 4-5 cups water
Instructions
-
Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add onion and cook for 1 minute. Add garlic and carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, to prevent burning.
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Add in the tomato paste, tomato sauce and lentils. Cook for 1 minute. Add potatoes. Pour 4 cups of water on top. Add salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 25-35 minutes, until the lentils are cooked and potatoes are tender.
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Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Calories: 224, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 432mg, Potassium: 691mg, Carbohydrates: 33g, Fiber: 14g, Sugar: 1g, Protein: 12g, Vitamin A: 1755%, Vitamin C: 10.4%, Calcium: 50%, Iron: 5%You May Also Like These Soup Recipes:
Easy Kale Potato And Sausage Soup
Cauliflower Cheese Soup Low Carb
Panera Inspired Cream Of Chicken And Rice Soup
Oh yum! It looks amazing and just perfect for dinner ♥
Thanks Natalie!
This soup sounds wonderful, Mira! I love lentils in soup, but have never tried it with potatoes before. Sounds so warm and comforting for this bitter cold weather! Pinned!
Thanks Gayle!
Is this using dried or canned lentils?
Hi Bonnie! Always dried. I’ve never tried canned lentils.
Even though I live in Florida where it is usually warm, today is not one of them. A nice bowl of your soup would make a delicious evening meal.
YUM. I’m telling you, there is no such thing as enough go-to soup recipes during a midwest winter. Definitely need to try this!
Happy new year Mira! soup looks so comforting, I love the addition of potatoes.
For the oregano and thyme, is that dried or fresh?
I use to get this kind of soup from a grocery store’s prepared foods when I lived in Berkeley. I ate it all year round!
Hi Julio – it is dried, I’ll add this to the recipe. Glad you liked that soup 🙂
How long do you think in the slow cooker?
I’d say 6-8 hours on high. Will test it soon and update the recipe.
Hello, I made this with Tin Lentils and it came out really nice. I followed the recipe, but instead of fresh lentil I had a tin and used that instead… Came it out really really nice?
Hi Fai, thank you! Glad it worked!
Are those carrots?? I love carrots in my soup will they be ok to add?
Yes, those are carrots. Definitely add them to the soup!
Hi. This soup looks delicious and can’t wait to try it. Quick question. On the picture I’ve noticed that you garnished it with something. Is it parsley or coriander on top? Thanks
Hi Stephania, I garnished with parsley, but coriander will also work, it is just personal preference.
I just tried this
This soup was so satisfying and filling! I tweaked a tad by combining split peas and brown lentils to make my 1 and 1/4 cup. I also used 1 tbsp Cold Mountain Red Miso (non GMO) instead of tomato paste. I topped with a little hot sauce and it was DELISH!
This soup was so satisfying and filling! I tweaked a tad by combining split peas and brown lentils to make my 1 and 1/4 cup. I also used Cold Mountain Red Miso (non GMO) instead of tomato paste. I topped with a little hot sauce and it was DELISH!
Hi Jo, I’m so glad you liked it! I’ll definitely try it with red miso next time 🙂
I made this soup using this posters adjustments and my Instantpot and it was delicious! I used half red and green lentils, garnished with celery and I also added a cube of veggie bouillon. I think I’m going to add mushrooms and spinach next time. Thanks for the recipe. It’s going in my regular rotation.
Can you please share the slow cooker adjustments for the recipe? Thank you.
Hi Meg, No adjustments. I cook it for 6 hours on high, then cook for additional time if lentils are not soft enough.
Can be blended for “round children”? Confused me for a second but I am still trying this. Looks AMAZING.
Hihi, sorry, I corrected it! Hope you like it!
This soup is amazing!! I added a bay leaf, a little garlic and onion powder & a few sprinkles of Hungarian paprika for a little kick.
It’s super filling…especially when you serve it in a toasted bread bowl ?.
So good that I had it for breakfast the next morning!
Great for cold Canadian winters 🙂
I made it in the instant pot, sauteed the onions, garlic and carrotts then added the rest of the ingredients – 15 minutes on high pressure, 10 minute natural release and then quick release (we were hungry and it smelled good!). Turned out perfect.
Thank you Stephanie! Glad it worked in the instant pot! I was just working on an Instant Pot version 🙂
might be a weird question but I’m a beginner cook, do you have to soak the lentils before putting them into the soup?
No, you don’t need to soak them. Just rinse them.
Does this soup freeze well?
Hi, I’ve never tried to freeze it. But yes, you can freeze it, the problem is that soups with cream sometimes separate when defrosted, but you can always whisk it to make it creamy again.
Yummy! I made this with a tin of brown lentils and a tin of diced tomatoes and added a bit of diced celery with the carrots. I used a bit less liquid and made this into a delicious stew.
Perfect winter meal, thank you for the recipe ?
Grat to know that tin lentils worked! Hope you liked it!
I tried this because I knew it would be healthy, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it! I was running low on tomato sauce but had a few frozen cubes of enchilada sauce. Delicious!
Tour lentil soup is amazing. Made it with mushrooms it tasted like lentils with gravy yum
Delicious and filling! I like my soup more brothy so I added more water, I’ll do veggie broth next time.
Hi LeeAnn, Thank you for the comment and I’m glad you liked it!
I tried your Easy Lentil Potato Soup recipe this week and loved it! Such a great comfort food for fall! I would like to post it to our business instagram page. May I use your recipe and direct them to your site for the recipe?
Hi Jen, thank you! You can post only the ingredients, but not the full recipe, thank you!
Would adding any sort of meat, like say chicken, take away from the flavor or overall feel of the dish? My family is ok with lentils, but they tend to enjoy them more with some sort of meat. Sorry if I offend if this was meant to be a vegetarian dish, I could go vegetarian and not blink, but my kids and hubby… no way…lol.
No, you can definitely add meat 🙂
Amazing recipe! My partner said he will be dreaming of this soup tonight haha
Great!
I’m learning to cook and this recipie was so easy to follow and it tasted delicious!
I made this soup when I got a gum graft and had to eat soft foods. I have to say that I didn’t anticipate it being as tasty as it is. It is simply delicious and now part of my regular meal rotation and not just when I have to eat mushy food.
The calories under nutrients show 224. What is considered a serving size?
1.5 cups
I was looking for an interesting new way to cook lentils and came across this recipe. Oh, my, this dish is Fantastic! It’s hearty and stew-like and has such a lovely flavor. My husband said he could eat it every day (he’s not kidding!). I highly recommend this delicious and simple dish for your main course or as a side, if you like. LOVE IT!!
Hi Cindy,
I;m so happy to hear you guys liked the soup! Thanks for the nice comment!
This lentil potato soup was delish!!! I omitted the oil and substituted it with veggie broth to cook down the vegetables and garlic. I have been incorporating a WFPB lifestyle in my life so honestly the oil was not missed. Can’t wait to try the lentil and sweet potato soup.
Great! So glad to hear that you liked it 🙂
Just wondering if this soup would work in an Instant Pot?
Hi LS, Yes, the soup will most likely work for IP, I’m just not sure of the exact cooking time. Probably sauté the onion, garlic and carrot for 1-2 minutes, add everything else and cook for 15 minutes on high with natural release? I’d say probably no more that 15 minutes.
Amazing taste and so easy to make as well. Thank you!
Hello, I want to try this soup but wondering is Tomato Paste mandatory? (I also dont have tomato sauce) What else can I use? I see some people used miso or enchillada paste, but I have none of these. Any other options? Thank you
Hi, not mandatory but adds flavor. You can chop a tomato or just leave the tomato paste and sauce out, it will still be delicious.
Made this the other day, very good! Definitely going to add the extra cup of water next time.
I’m confused by this answer just cause this soup doesn’t have cream in it…?
no cream, sorry I don’t understand the question
Simple and delicious. I made it a tad differently due to what I had around the house and it still turned out great. My Mods: Added celery, bay leaves and used chicken broth instead of water. Ommitted tomato sauce. — Thank you!
This is my second time making this recipe. My family loves it.!!! We eat it with avocado and Pita bread!! Thank you for the recipe!!!
Great soup! I left out the tomato sauce and added more water to thin it out a bit. It was easy to throw together on a Sunday and lasted me through the entire week as a quick and healthy lunch. Thanks!
This is a great basic soup/stew recipe ANYONE can make. I love lentils and potato and soups. You can tailor this however you like: I used a lot more olive oil, not “vegetable” oil (probably 1/4c . . . fat is not your enemy); quadrupled the thyme and oregano; tripled the onion. I used only filtered water and only tomato paste (no sauce). And it’s great.
Everyone loved it! Thank you for this recipe!
I used french lentils, because that is what I had on hand, so cooking time needed to be extended to about 45 mins. And I used homemade broth, so it needed only 1/4 tsp of salt. And I did add extra (maybe another cup? slightly more?)water/broth at the end. This took very little time to put together, and then it just simmered on the stove top. Such an easy mid week meal! Served with roasted mini peppers and an arugula tomato salad. Yum!
I used Vegetable broth and this was delicious! even my 3 and 6 year olds loved it. thank you!
Yummy! Used chicken broth instead of water and upped the spices and added mushrooms, spinach, paprika and cumin!
Delicious! Can’t have tomatoes so I left them out. Added some cumin, paprika and white beans I needed to use up.
Thank you!!
My girls and I love this soup. Does it freeze well ?
Great! Yes, it does freeze well for up to 1 month 🙂
This is my husband’s favorite recipe!! I love it!! This time I added left over kale. Delicious!!!
I tried this recipe with Bay leaf and vegetable broth and it was super good.
This recipe sounds delicious – can’t wait to try! Do you have to soak the lentils in water first or did you just add dried lentils when making this soup?
Thanks! No, there is no need to soak the lentils.
I made this and added Italian seasoning and swapped water for chicken broth. Vegetarian dishes like this can be so flavorful using fresh and dried herbs! I also used Kosher salt and extra cracked pepper. Yum!
Great! Glad you liked it!
Were your lentils dry or pre-cooked?
No, they were just rinsed. Depending on the type of lentils used, the cooking time may vary.