Nourishing vegan coconut tomato lentil soup simmered with delicious, warming spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric. This creamy tomato lentil soup recipe has plenty of plant-based protein and makes a wonderful meal prep lunch or dinner!
Optional: ¼ teaspoon cayenne (only if you like a little heat)
1(28 ounce) can fire roasted crushed tomatoes (or regular crushed tomatoes are fine)
1cupgreen or brown lentils, sorted and rinsed*
1(15 ounce) can light coconut milk (reserve 2 tablespoons for drizzling on top of soup)
¼teaspoonsalt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
To garnish:
Extra fresh diced cilantro
Pita or naan bread for dipping
Instructions
Add olive oil in a large pot and place over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add in onion, green pepper, cilantro and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent and green peppers soften, about 3-5 minutes. Bring heat to medium low and add in spices and crushed tomatoes, simmer for a few minutes until it comes together.
Next stir in lentils and coconut milk, reserving 2 tablespoons of coconut milk for drizzling on top once the soup is done. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring soup to boil, then reduce heat and simmer over medium low for 20-30 minutes or until lentils are soft and tender. The soup should thicken up similar to how tomato soup is. (If it gets too thick for your liking, then feel free to add ½ cup-1 cup water or broth.) Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary, adding additional salt and pepper if needed.
Serve soup immediately and drizzle in a circle with leftover coconut milk and cilantro. I love to serve mine with naan or pita bread for dipping. Serves 4.
Notes
*Lentils are a whole, all natural food, so the package may have some dust and dirt in it. This is normal! Because of the "extras" that come with a bag of lentils, you'll want to rinse them off and sort out anything that's not a lentil before cooking with them.See the full post for easy ways to customize this soup, plus storing & freezing tips.