Creamy Red pepper and Lentil Soup
This Creamy Red Pepper and Lentil Soup is a delicious, and easy-to-make soup that’s hearty enough to be a meal. Make entirely ahead and enjoy on a busy weeknight. Sweet bell red peppers, carrots, onions, garlic, herbs and soft red lentils are cooked with broth until perfectly tender. Then the soup is blended until thick and creamy but still with some texture from the veggies. The flavor of this soup is savory and slightly sweet from the carrots, with a peppery backdrop from the red peppers and nutty, earthy flavors from the lentils, onions, and garlic.
Ingredients
- 2 Red bell peppers
- ½ cup Carrots diced
- ½ cup onion diced
- 3 teaspoon garlic minced (3 cloves)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon Ground Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 cups Vegetable Stock or Broth
- ¾ cup uncooked red lentils rinsed and drained
Instructions
Prep-Ahead Steps
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Peel and dice the carrots and onions. Dice the red pepper. Mince the garlic.
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Rinse and drain the lentils.
Cooking Steps
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Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pot and add the carrots, onions, garlic, red pepper, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.
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Then add the butter, olive oil, and flour. Stir so all flour is moistened and combined with the veggies.
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Add the red lentils, broth, salt, and plenty of pepper. Add red pepper flakes or cayenne, if desired, to taste. Stir to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a low boil.
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Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-high, and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until the lentils are fluffy and tender.
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Blending step.
Option 1 - Use an immersion blender to blend about half of the soup so it's thick and smooth, but also has texture and chunks of veggies and lentils.
Option 2 - Using a slotted spoon, scoop approximately 1 ½ cups of the veggies and lentils into a blender. Add ½ cup of the liquid and blend until smooth. Then add back to the pot and stir to combine.
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Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Vegan - This Red Pepper and Lentil Soup recipe is not vegan as it includes butter. To make this recipe vegan, you can simply eliminate the butter and replace it with another tablespoon of Olive Oil.
- Gluten Free - To make this Soup recipe Gluten Free, you can replace the flour with a cornstarch slurry. Before you get to Step 3 of the cooking instructions, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into ¼ cup of cold water. Then in Step 3 mix the cornstarch slurry in with the broth. As the soup comes up to a boil in Step 3, be sure to stir often as it thickens. Follow the remaining steps.
- You can use either fresh or roasted peppers. I love the fresh flavor, but roasted brings another level of flavor. When using roasted, buy the ones that are stored in water vs. olive oil. Olive oil is fine, but is not needed for the flavor in this recipe and just adds calories. If you just want a roasted or smoky flavor, you can also use fresh red peppers with a teaspoon of smoked paprika!
- Freezing - This Red Pepper and Lentil Soup can be made entirely ahead, portioned out as desired, and then frozen. I like to freeze this soup in freezer bags laying flat in a sheet pan. Once frozen, I can stack the bags like books for easy access in the freezer. This soup will last for up to 6 months in the freezer. To reheat the soup, you can thaw it in the fridge overnight and then heat it on medium heat in a pot on the stove. You can also reheat it from the frozen state.
- Fridge Storage - Once cooked, this soup can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.