Curry Lentil Soup

In the dreary cold days of winter, nothing beats coming home to a warm bowl of soup for dinner. Our gorgeous Curry Lentil Soup is not just good soup, it’s also easy to make, easy to freeze, and a joy to eat.

Drop the frozen soup in a crockpot in the morning and come home to hot soup for supper, or just come home and drop it in a stockpot. Either way, dinner is on the table in no time.

It may be pretty obvious, but I am a huge fan of soup. A quick search of the site turns up more than 30 soup recipes, and we have even more in the Freezer Meals 101 Club. Warm soup and bakery bread is the perfect end to a hard day in my opinion.

More easy options you can try this week include Marry Me Gnocchi Soup or the infamous Hamburger Hoobie Soup. If you want to try out the club without the full commit, check out our Soups and Stews stack. You get instant access to five recipes to try.

Curry Lentil Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• red pepper flakes – optional
• 3/4 cup split red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 2 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 14 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 14 fl. oz. coconut milk
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

How to Make Curry Lentil Soup

Assembly Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large stovetop pot. Add the onion, carrot, and red pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
2. Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. Cook 1 additional minute. 
3. Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes, coconut milk, and lime juice. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until lentils are soft. 
4. Run an immersion blender through until blended. Season with salt and pepper.
5. When cooled, transfer to a large resealable freezer bag, remove air, seal, and freeze.

Day of Serving

1. Heat and serve. You can reheat the soup in a stockpot or in the microwave.

My lentils aren’t soft after twenty minutes. What should I do?

Sometimes lentils can take more time to soften, just stir and check again in five minutes. You can also add more liquid if needed due to the lengthened cook time.

I have baby carrots. How many should I include?

About four to five baby carrots is equivalent to one regular carrot. Carrots tend to retain more sweetness and flavor when kept whole so I encourage you to try them next time!

Do I need to rinse the lentils?

Lentils are packaged without rinsing, so it is best to rinse off any dust or residue before cooking for them. In addition, this allows you to check for pebbles that might have made it past the sorting process at the farm, which do sometimes sneak into packages of lentils and beans. To rinse lentils, put them in a strainer and run them under warm water.

Curry Lentil Soup Recipe Ideas

Because this soup is cooked ahead and then frozen, it is a great candidate for individual servings. Once cooked and cooled, divide your soup into equal portions in Souper Cubes, quart-sized freezer bags or other freezer safe containers. Makes a quick and easy microwaveable lunch at work!

To turn up the heat, increase the amount of cayenne pepper to 1 tsp. or more!

If you find the soup to thick, you can thin it with additional vegetable soup. This soup also works when made with chicken broth if you prefer.

Coconut soup might be a turn-off for some; you can use heavy whipping cream instead.

Lime juice cuts through the richness and can be increased if you find it needs more. Taste and adjust after reheating the soup.

An immersion blender is one of my most used kitchen tools. If you do not have one, you can carefully move the soup to your regular blender, hold the lid on, and blend the soup that way. It’s worth getting an immersion blender, which isn’t very expensive, just for the safety factor alone. It allows you to put your blender in the pot and puree the soup without fear.

How do I store Curry Lentil Soup

Leftover soup can be refrigerated for several days but should not be frozen again. Use an airtight container. Reheat the soup in a stockpot or in the microwave.

What to serve with Curry Lentil Soup

Serve this soup with French bread, baguettes, or even warmed naan. Add a green salad with a vinaigrette dressing to offset the richness of the soup if desired. Fresh fruit or fruit salad would also pair nicely with the soup.