my favorite lentil soups

Lentil soups are the one of my top choices when I need to make something that’s fast, healthy, hands-off, and cheap. I always keep lentils in my pantry (hey-o, zero waste!) and they can be made into a delectable soup with only a few other ingredients. And often you can throw everything in the slow cooker.

Last fall, I made so many lentil soups that they all started to blend together in my brain. When a friend asked me to send her the recipe for a soup I’d mentioned making, and I hadn’t the foggiest idea which of the myriad of lentil soups that might be.

So, to keep everything straight, for me and for you, here’s a compilation of my favorites. A few are a tad fancier and a couple are quite simple. But they’re all remarkably delicious. And easy. And healthful.

These are listed in order of easiest (or perhaps, simplest) to fanciest. But none are much work relative to many other dishes. I recommend doubling them all; they freeze remarkable well.

Moroccan Red Lentil Stew {Parents Need to Eat Too}
This comes from a cookbook and I can’t seem to find it online. It’s super simple, like most of the recipes in the book, but remarkably good for minimal effort. You put everything in the slow cooker and walk away. I highly recommend this cookbook if you are short on time but want to make healthful dishes to please a variety of palettes.

Red Lentil Soup {the kitchn}
This is one of my go-to recipes. It’s super simple as written, but you can jazz it up by adding other ingredients. I’m always amazed at how delicious it is for such little work.

Freezer Meal Detox Lentil Soup {Pinch of Yum}
Make this. And all of the freezer meals on this blog. So good. I rarely freeze the ingredients together; I usually just make the soup. It’s a good one to take to a friend who needs dinner. Healthy and yummy.

Wild Rice Bowl with Lentil Curry {The Kitchn}
This is easy and tastes great with wild rice or red rice. I add fresh tomatoes and greens at the end.

Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup {Oh She Glows}
Can’t go wrong with this one. A touch fancier than the above recipes, but still quite easy.

Healing Thai Butternut Lentil Soup {ambitious kitchen}
This recipe is a bit different than the others because of the Thai flavors, the coconut milk, and the nut butter. It’s richer but not in a bad way. In a way that is comforting after a long day. I’ve used potatoes (sweet or regular) in place of the squash on occasion and it’s worked out very well.

Spicy Red Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk and Spinach {Milk Street}
Milk Street recipes are amazing. This one is no exception. Definitely double it.