Turmeric Lentil Vegetable Soup is naturally fat free and low in calories. Simple ingredients for easy Indian style Lentil Soup! Packed with carrots and celery, this easy healthy vegetable soup will become a new family favorite. Enjoy it for lunch, dinner, snack or as a starter!
The weather is starting to get colder now, which means it’s soup season! But… With the cooler weather also comes cold and flu season. And what better way to fight off infection than with an Indian style soup made with red lentils, fresh vegetables and turmeric? Yes for healthy and hearty vegetable soup that is loaded with antioxidants and flavor! You will not regret making it!
The first soup I made for this blog was this Cabbage Beef soup. But I wanted to make something lighter, fat free, and without any animal protein. Something that I could eat on a day where I didn’t want to load my tummy with fats and heavy proteins. So this time I opted for a vegetable protein – red lentils, and then added some carrots and celery.
Is lentil a vegetable or protein?
While lentils are part of the vegetable group, they also fall under the protein group — which is why many people consume lentils as a supplement for meat in a vegetarian diet. Lentils are an excellent source of plant protein, and they are also rich in zinc, iron, potassium and folate.
What is this lentil soup all about?
This homemade soup with lentils reminds me of those Indian soups that usually come complimentary with any order of Indian food. The color is always so bright and yellow! Now I know why. It’s the turmeric! The amazing spice credited with so much power and health benefits!
As you would expect in any comforting soup recipe, it’s completely loaded with fresh veggies and flavor. We are talking carrots, onions and celery.
Health benefits of vegetable soup with lentils
- First of all, this soup is entirely fat free, which means it is appropriate for those with pancreatic or gallbladder issues. More than that, I would recommend lentil soup to anyone who has issues with motility or frequent constipation
- Turmeric is an amazing anti-inflammatory agent that can be used to alleviate pain, reduce swelling and even improve pancreatitis!
- Lastly, the addition of carrots to this healthy vegetable soup makes it a good source of beta carotene and fiber.
How to make pureed lentil soup
I made this soup in two versions: regular vegetable soup and pureed version. For me, warm puréed soups are the best, especially on a cold day. To make it pureed, I used Ninja Nutri Bullet Pro Blender.
First, you will simmer your veggies in the medium size pot on the stove for about 20-25 minutes. I used spring water to make my lentil soup, but you can also use vegetable stock. If you decide to use vegetable stock, you will need to adjust salt.
Once it’s cooked, make sure to cool off your soup in the refrigerator because you cannot put hot liquids into this blender. If it’s cool to the point where you can touch it with your finer and not get burned, add it to your blender’s cup together with some water. Puree it in the Ninja Nutri Bullet blender for 10-15 seconds.
By the way, I pureed the entire soup by splitting it into two equal batches and adding ¼ cup of additional water to each batch. Adding extra water will make the soup nice and smooth. That’s it! You are done!
Once you blended and pureed your soup, pour it into a large bowl for serving. In the photo below you can see the how easy it is to pour the pureed soup into the prepared bowl. You can also see the difference between the regular soup and its pureed counterpart.
Serve with additional chopped parsley on top! Or, make a large batch and save the extra soup in the freezer for days when you don’t feel like cooking!
Enjoy and be healthy!
Lentil Vegetable Soup with Turmeric
Ingredients
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 tablespoon parsley
- 3 cups spring water, (+additional ½ cup for pureeing)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt, (or sea salt)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the medium size pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 25 minutes.
- FOR PUREED VERSION: Cool the soup to room temperature in the refrigerator, then add to a blender in 2 batches. Add additional ¼ cup water to each batch before blending. DO NOT PUT HOT LIQUID to your Magic Bullet! Blend for 10-15 seconds.
- Serve hot or cold.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
I make it very often. So healthy!!!! My husband is vegan and loves the soup. Thank you
Very easy to make with just a few ingredients !