Red Pepper and Lentil Soup
Red pepper and lentil soup is so easy to make and is thick, creamy and so satisfying. This red pepper lentil soup is super budget friendly and made with pantry ingredients in under 30 minutes for a comforting lunch or dinner.
If you have more red lentils, try this Curry Cauliflower Lentil Soup or Moroccan Lentil Soup.
I know how important it is to have super flavorful, filling meals, as I used to run a meal prep business for my gym. I bet you are busy just like the women in my gym, which is why I create really simple recipes that won’t take too much time to prepare
Why you will love this recipe
- Creamy without cream
- Easy to make, just one pot
- Simple pantry ingredients
- Budget friendly recipe
Ingredient spotlight
- Tomato paste – tomato paste adds a deep, rich tomato flavor without overpowering the red pepper in the soup. Tomato paste adds a ton of umami to the soup.
- Red split lentils – red split lentils are sometimes just labeled as red lentils.
- Roasted red peppers – I used jarred roasted red peppers for this recipe. Be sure to drain the liquid and rinse them off before adding them to the soup. If you only have fresh bell peppers, you can roast bell peppers in the air fryer or roast the peppers with the onions in the oven at 450F for 15 minutes.
How to make red pepper and lentil soup
Preheat a large pot over medium heat.
Chop the red onion and slice the garlic. Once the pot is preheated, add the olive oil and add the chopped red onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes then add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.
After the garlic has cooked for 1-2 minutes, add the tomato paste and stir well. Cook 1-2 minutes.
Add ½ cup of vegetable broth to the pot with the onion, garlic and tomato paste. Scrape the bottom of the pot before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Rinse the red lentils in a mesh strainer then add them to the pot with the rest of the vegetable broth, spices and roasted red peppers.
Put a lid on the pot and allow to cook the soup for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth.
What to serve with red pepper and lentil soup
- Salad – this soup pairs well with salad to make a super filling meal. This soup will pair well with Greek Salad, green salad with creamy balsamic dressing or asparagus salad with lemon tahini dressing.
- Crackers or pita bread chips – these homemade seed crackers, hemp flax crackers or oat flour tortillas cut into chips and toasted.
- Crusty bread or almond flour corn bread
Different spices to add
I love the simple flavors of the italian seasoning in this soup. Here are some other spices you could use
- Greek: Add a teaspoon of dried oregano and the juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Moroccan: Omit the italian seasoning and instead add 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Curry: Omit the italian seasoning and add 1 teaspoon curry powder and 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Spicy: Add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
Common questions
Do lentils need to be soaked?
No, lentils require no soaking before using them in soup.
What if you don’t have red split lentils?
If you don’t have red lentils, you could also use green/brown lentils, however they will need to cook longer. Once the soup comes to a boil, cook for 15 minutes (this will add about 10 minutes to the cooking time).
You could also use canned white beans (cannellini, great northern white beans , navy beans or butter beans) in place of the red lentils. You will want about 2 cans (15 oz cans). Reduce the liquid from 4 cups to 2.5 cups (since the beans are already cooked). Once the soup is simmering, you can take it off the heat (this will cut the cooking time by 5-7 minutes).
Other recipes with red lentils
- Lentil Tortilla Soup
- Red Lentil Flatbread
- Slow Cooker Red Lentil Curry
- Sweet Potato Red Lentil Patties
Can you double this recipe?
Yes! You can easily double this recipe, and it won’t add much more cooking time.
Is this lentil red pepper soup good for meal prep?
Yes! This lentil pepper soup is perfect for meal prep! You can make a double batch and enjoy it all week for lunch or you can even freeze it for later in the month.
What if you don’t have red lentils?
Use regular lentils (increase the time the lentils cook from 20 minutes to 30 minutes). You can also use white beans (cannellini beans, great northern white beans, butter beans or navy beans) in place of the red split lentils. Be sure to reduce the liquid from 4 cups to 2.5 cups.
Substitutions
- Tomato paste – use a small can of diced tomatoes (drained) to give a similar flavor to the soup.
- Vegetable broth – use chicken broth or chicken stock or even water in place of the vegetable broth.
Red Pepper and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1.25 cups red lentils
- 2 tsp italian seasoning
- 1.25 tsp sea salt
- 1.25 tsp garlic powder
- 1 jar roasted red peppers
Instructions
- Preheat a large pot over medium heat.
- Chop the red onion and slice the garlic. Once the pot is preheated, add the olive oil and red onion. Cook 3-4 minutes then add the garlic and cook 1-2 more minutes.
- Add the tomato paste to the onion and garlic mixture. Stir well and cook 1-2 minutes.
- Add about 1/2 cup of vegetable broth to the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot.
- Rinse the lentils in a mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Add the lentils, the rest of the vegetable broth, spices and roasted red peppers (drained) to the pot.
- Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir well one or two times during cooking.
- After 15 minutes, blend the soup with an immersion blender in the pot.
Notes
- Rinse the lentils before cooking with them.
- I recommend using an immersion blender to blend soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender and blend in batches (be sure to vent the blender so that pressure doesn’t build up from the steam).
- This lentil red pepper soup will thicken as it cools, especially when stored in the fridge overnight. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water or stock to the soup when reheating to get the right consistency.
- If the soup is too thick, you can add some water or stock (about 1/2 cup at a time until the soup reaches your desired consistency).
- If the soup is too thin, simmer it on the stove for a few minutes, as the liquid evaporates, the soup will get thicker. Also the soup will thicken as it’s stored in the fridge overnight.
- Fridge: Store leftover red pepper and lentil soup in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze leftover lentil red pepper soup for up to 3 months. I love to use Soupercubes to freeze leftover soup. Once frozen, transfer the cubes into a freezer safe bag or container and store up to 3 months.
