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Vegan Lentil Soup is gluten free and can be made on the stove- top or in an Instant Pot ( with only 12 minutes of pressure cooking time!). Flavorful and healthy, this version is seasoned with Middle Eastern Spices.

Packed full of veggies, this delicious, vegan soup is seasoned with Middle Eastern spices and is satisfying and filling, yet low in calories. Humble yet abundant. Make a big batch and have it on hand for lunches or dinners during the busy workweek. Serve it with a drizzle of olive oil, a little squeeze of lemon, fresh Italian parsley, chili flakes, diced tomatoes and a side of toasted pita bread to mop up all the tasty juices. The best part is that this soup can be made either in a Instant Pot or on the stove up!

If unfamiliar, an Instant Pot is basically a pressure cooker and slow cooker in one, with a saute function. The pressure cooker function comes in especially handy if wanting to cook dried beans or grains very quickly in under an hour. For people with families who are short on time, I see how this could be a great tool in the kitchen. For me personally, I’ll admit, I guess I’m a little old-school and much prefer to cook meals like this one in a dutch oven on the stove – nice and slow. But I don’t have kids and a 9-5 job. So I get it. That’s why I understand the ease these Instant Pots bring to life.

The recipe calls for 4 cups of chopped veggies – any combination of carrots, celery, parsnips, bell pepper, potato, or even cabbage – in this nutrient dense soup. It takes about 12 minutes for lentils and vegetables to cook perfectly in the Instant Pot. Here I’ve used tiny Black Lentils, but any lentil will work fine. Smaller lentils cook much faster so keep that in mind. If going with a conventional large brown lentils, increase time to 20 minutes. Make sure to add the finishing touches – olive oil, lemon, parsley and fresh tomatoes . So tasty! Since it takes time for the flavors to fuse, it will be better as you wait.

Vegan Lentil Soup Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced (or sub 2 fat shallots)
• 6 –8 cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups diced veggies – any mix of carrots, celery, parsnip, bell pepper, potato, cabbage (I normally use 1 –2 carrots, 1 parsnip, 1–2 celery)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, more to taste.
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional)
• 1 bay leaf or 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence or Italian herbs
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced with their juices (one 14.5 ounce can, diced)
• 4 flavorful cups veggie stock (or just water you as to don’t have veggie stock )
• 2 cups water
• 1 ¼ cup small black lentils or French Green Lentils (You can always use bigger, brown lentils, but increase pressure cooking time to 20 minutes.) You can also substitute split lentils for ¼ cup of the lentils for a creamier texture.

Garnish

Finish with olive oil, lemon juice, chopped Italian parsley (or cilantro), diced tomatoes and optional chili flakesand toasted pita.

Vegan Lentil Soup Instructions

• Saute onion and garlic in the Instant Pot in 2 tablespoons oil until fragrant and tender, about 2-3 minutes.  (Or cook in a dutch oven on the stove, over medium-high heat)
• Add the veggies, spices and salt. Saute 4-5 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and brown it a bit. Add the tomatoes and their juices, stock and water, scraping up any browned bits. Add the lentils, stir and cover, setting the Instant pot to Pressure Cook on Normal for 12 minutes. (Alternately if cooking on the stove top, bring to a simmer and cover, simmering on low for 20-25 minutes)
• Let the pressure release either manually or naturally.
• Divide among bowls and drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, chili flakes, fresh parsley and fresh diced tomato (optional)

Notes

• Remember little black lentils (or French Green Lentils) cook much faster than regular brown lentils. Red lentils have been split and will work here too, and will cook fast, but will give a different consistency. Sometimes I’ll substitute a ¼ cup of split red lentils for the black lentils for a creamier texture. The larger the lentil, the longer you will need to cook.
• When using red lentils: other vegetables are roasted and softened, and then cooked with red lentils for 20 minutes, adding vegetable stock or water. (You don’t need an Instant Pot for this)
• You may have pre-boiled black or green lentils and frozen them. In this case, try following all the steps to put the lentils into the water last.