Hearty Lentil Soup Spinach (Printable Version)

Earthy lentils with fresh spinach and a hint of lemon for a comforting, flavorful dish.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 medium carrots, diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 3 garlic cloves, minced

→ Legumes

06 - 1 cup dried brown or green lentils, rinsed

→ Liquids & Seasonings

07 - 6 cups vegetable broth (gluten-free if needed)
08 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
09 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1 bay leaf
11 - ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Greens & Finish

13 - 4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
14 - 1 lemon, juiced (plus extra wedges for serving)
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook for 5 to 7 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
03 - Add lentils, cumin, thyme, bay leaf, and smoked paprika; mix thoroughly.
04 - Pour in vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until lentils are tender.
05 - Remove bay leaf and stir in chopped spinach. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until wilted.
06 - Mix in lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve with additional lemon wedges.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • It's the kind of soup that tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for meal prep without any fuss.
  • One pot, minimal cleanup, and you've got something that actually fills you up rather than leaving you hungry an hour later.
  • The lemon at the end transforms everything—it's like discovering a brightness you didn't know was missing.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing your lentils beforehand; grit gets trapped in them and ruins the otherwise silky texture of the soup.
  • The lemon juice must go in at the very end, or you'll lose that bright punch—add it too early and it'll cook away into nothing.
  • If your soup ends up thicker than you like, just add more broth a splash at a time; it's easier to thin it out than to thicken it up.
03 -
  • Make a double batch and freeze half—it thaws beautifully and tastes like an act of kindness to your future self on a busy day.
  • Taste the soup constantly as it cooks; lentils vary in how quickly they soften, and you want to catch them at their best rather than overshooting.

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