Curry Lentil Soup

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It’s soup day here on WGC and this Curry Lentil Soup is going to go right up there with your other favs… I can guarantee it! No questions asked!

You didn’t think I’d let the first week of fall go by without a soup did you? I think not!! Just disregard the fact that it is literally 90 degrees in LA today… it’s fall on the calendar and we’re going with it. A few weeks ago I asked for your favorite soups on my IG stories and OMG soup is a hot topic… literally.

I got every answer under the sun. Most of which we already have here on WGC over in the soup section – but one that kept popping up was a lentil soup! Random, I know, but apparently everyone loves it. I’ll be honest, I was hesitant at first because I was somewhat skeptical of lentils as a kid – but mix it with coconut milk and curry and a TON of garlic and ginger and I could eat this every day.

This Curry Lentil Soup is the perfect soup no matter who you’re feeding. It’s naturally vegan, incredibly filling and packed with flavor from the curry and the coconut milk. All in all… it’s perfection.

You can use any color lentils you have on hand! And some goes for curry powder… red, yellow and green all work in this recipe interchangeably! The rest is pretty self explanatory. If you’re anti-cilantro then use some chives or basil on top! Just promise me that you won’t forget to garnish with the lime juice. That fresh pop of flavor really makes this dish sing!

Curry Lentil Soup from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Curry Lentil Soup

5 from 56 votes
The most perfect (naturally vegan) Curry Lentil Soup in the world!! It's the perfect simple dinner and it's great for a take-to-work lunch moment!
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course Soup
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 cup lentils
  • 1 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup cilantro finely chopped, plus more for garnish
  • kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1 13.5 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
  • lime wedges for serving

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a medium dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
  • Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the lentils and cook for about 1 minute more, stirring occasionally.
  • Add tomatoes, cilantro, 2½ cups water and season with salt and pepper. Set aside a few tablespoons of the coconut milk and add remaining coconut milk to dutch oven.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft but not mushy, 20-25 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
  • To serve, divide soup among bowls. Drizzle with reserved coconut milk and top with plenty of cilantro. Serve with lots of lime wedges.

115 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    Very good fall soup! I added Swiss shard and diced sweet potatoes just to make it stretch and it was dinner. Don’t skip on the coconut topping and some lime juice.

  2. 5 stars
    One of the best soups I’ve ever made! This is so delicious and it’s GREAT leftover! Will absolutely make again and again!

  3. 5 stars
    Love this soup, but as written it’’s a little bland for my tastes. I double the curry, add 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and 1 teaspoon of salt. Simmer until it thickens a bit. Sometimes takes an extra 10 minutes. I like if a little better stirring the coconut milk in at the end rather than with the water and tomatoes.

  4. 5 stars
    Your recipes haven’t disappointed yet! This is another winner! The only crushed tomatoes I had were roasted and I was skeptical when I added them (didn’t initially smell as I expected), but the flavors came together and OhMyGOSH! Yummmmmm!

  5. Hands down one of my new fave Gaby recipes. The squeeze of lime at the end is super delicious- don’t forget to add it. Legit, this is easily my fave meal I’ve made the last 9 months … and we’ve cooked a lot of Gaby’a recipes during Covid times (and loved them all!). This is easy to follow but HUGE flavor and tastes like something you’d get from a restaurant. But better. We served with Trader Joe’s garlic naan.

  6. 5 stars
    Made this yesterday for the first time…loved it & will be making in again & again & again!!! Am looking forward to the leftovers for lunch today.

  7. 5 stars
    I made a big pot of this soup to give as a birthday gift. Divided it into quart containers so he had some to eat now and some to freeze for later – and saved a quart for myself He loved it. Said it was the best lentil soup ever. I loved the rich creaminess of the coconut milk.

  8. 5 stars
    This is on our monthly rotation we love it so much. It’s also a dream when cooking for people with different dietary restrictions and choices! GF, Vegan, etc. and the naan recipe is not to be missed either! Holy moly.

  9. Could I use TJ’s premade lentils for this recipe? Could I add them near the end or would it mess up the whole vibe?

  10. 5 stars
    I love so many of your recipes but this one really blew me away because I did not know what to expect! So so good!! Thank you for this and all of your delicious and approachable recipes!

  11. 5 stars
    Wowza. This soup is the best! I followed the recipe exactly and it was divine. I made it early in the day then let it sit and reheated it for dinner. Felt clean and healthy but really filling. Served the soup with garlic naan grilled cheese, which was decidedly less healthy, but the soup exorcised the bad juju, I’m sure. It’s as beautiful as it is delish. Thanks for this inspiration. Total winner.

  12. 5 stars
    Amazing soup! I added some spinach this time and this soup is so versatile you could add lots of other vegetables! Loved it and will be putting it on my dinner rotation!

  13. 5 stars
    This turned out great!! I can’t handle a lot of heat so I think if I make it again I’ll cut back on the red pepper flakes. I also had to use chives and Thai basil because I had no cilantro, so next time, cilantro!! Thanks for the recipe! I like the idea of adding sweet potato.

  14. 5 stars
    Fantastic. My husband considers himself and Indian cooking aficionado. He gobbled this up. Perfect texture.

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