Red Lentil & Quinoa Soup is the perfect soup for winter. It is made with dried red lentils, carrots, lemon, quinoa and some amazing spices. Best of all it is so easy to make and you can also make it if you have a Thermomix.
RECIPE FEATURES
Gluten free - This recipe is of course gluten free.
Dairy free & vegan option – you can make this red lentil soup dairy free or vegan by substituting the butter with olive oil.
Freezer friendly – you can freeze this soup for 2-3 months.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Butter – I use either grass fed or organic butter in this recipe. If you wanted this recipe to be dairy free or vegan, then substitute the butter with olive oil.
Red Lentils – make sure you rinse the lentils really well as they may contain dirt, stones or debris.
Quinoa – you can also make this soup with rice. The version that I grew up with contained rice, but I changed it to quinoa. Make sure you rinse the quinoa or rice.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan on low heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 10 minutes or until the onion has softened.
Step 2. Add the remaining ingredients (except the lemon and quinoa) and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the red lentils are falling apart.
Step 3. Blend the soup with a hand stick blender.
Step 4. Add the quinoa to the soup and stir through. Add the lemon (I recommend adding the lemon slowly and tasting as you go as some people prefer it to have less lemon than others).
TIPS AND FAQS
Want to make this red lentil soup dairy free or vegan? – substitute the butter with olive oil
Quinoa alternative – you can add rice instead of quinoa.
Lemon – I like to add lots of lemon when I eat this soup, but some people prefer it to contain less lemon. I highly recommend that you start with the juice from one lemon and add more if you need to. Or you could add the lemon to each individual bowl.
Thermomix – this soup is really easy to make in your Thermomix.
Don't have a hand stick blender? - You could use a potato masher to blend up the soup.
How to cook quinoa
First, you need to rinse the quinoa and then add the (½ cup) quinoa to a small sauce pan with ¾ cup water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.
Can I freeze this soup?
Yes you can! This soup will keep in the freezer for 2-3 months. I like to freeze into the desired portion sizes and then when needed, take out of the freezer and thaw out before heating to eat.
Red Lentil & Quinoa Soup
Red Lentil & Quinoa Soup is the perfect soup for winter. It is made with dried red lentils, carrots, lemon, quinoa and some amazing spices. Best of all it is so easy to make and you can also make it if you have a Thermomix.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons organic unsalted butter (you can also use olive oil)
- 2 cups split red lentils, rinsed well
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- l litre organic or natural vegetable stock
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2-3 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ cup organic quinoa, cooked as per packet directions
- 2 - 3 lemons, juiced
Instructions
- Sauté garlic and onion - Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan on low heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 10 minutes or until the onion has softened.
- Simmer soup - Add the remaining ingredients (except the lemon and quinoa) and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the red lentils are falling apart.
- Blend soup - Blend the soup with a hand stick blender.
- Add quinoa and lemon - Add the quinoa to the soup and stir through. Add the lemon (I recommended adding the lemon slowly and tasting as you go as some people prefer it to have more lemon than others).
Notes
- You can make this soup dairy free and/or vegan by substituting the butter with olive oil.
- You can also use rice instead of quinoa.
- If you are unsure as to how much lemon to add, start with the juice of one lemon and then add more if needed. Some people (like me) enjoy the soup with lots of lemon juice. Some prefer less. It is really an individual choice.
- If you have a Thermomix - then check out the Themomix method below.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 171Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 1699mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 8gSugar: 5gProtein: 8g
Red Lentil and Quinoa Soup - Thermomix
Red Lentil & Quinoa Soup is the perfect soup for winter. It is made with dried red lentils, carrots, lemon, quinoa and some amazing spices. Best of all it is so easy to make and you can also make it if you have a Thermomix.
Ingredients
- 900 grams water
- Pinch of sea salt
- 100 grams organic quinoa, rinsed
- 1 large onion, halved
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons organic unsalted butter (olive oil would also work)
- 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
- 300 grams split red lentils
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1250 grams water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable stock paste
- Juice of 2 - 3 lemons
Instructions
- Cook quinoa - add water and salt to the mixing bowl. Next, add the rinsed quinoa and place in the rice basket and put on the lid. Cook for 20 minutes/Varoma/speed 4. Empty basket into thermoserver.
- Chop onion & garlic - first place onion and garlic into the mixing bowl and chop 3 seconds/speed 7.
- Saute - scrape down the sides with the spatula, then add the butter and saute for 4 minutes/100C/speed 1
- Chop carrots - add the carrot and chop for 3 seconds/speed 7
- Add lentil & spices - add the lentils, tumeric, cumin and sea salt and cook for 1 minutes/100C/speed 1
- Add water & stock - add the water, stock paste and cook 30 minutes/100c/speed 1
- Add quinoa & lemon - when cooked, add the cooked quinoa and lemon juice and stir 10 seconds/3 (reverse mode)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 167Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 908mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 7gSugar: 8gProtein: 7g
RECIPE UPDATED – This recipe was originally posted on the 09/07/2014
Want More? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram for all my latest recipes and updates.
RELATED RECIPES
Top 7 Winter Warming Soup Recipes
Roast Pumpkin and Coconut Soup
Kerri
Hi,
I'm in the process of making this beautiful soup. I'm adding the ingredients into my fitness pal and the caleries on there are much higher per serve. Can I please confirm as I'm sure it's an error on my end.
167 caleries per serve, 6 serves, 1cup per serve?
It's smelling so good, we can't wait to try it!
Thank you
Kerri xx
Vanessa Vickery
Hi Kerri, Yes this is the calories per serve as provided by Nutritionox based on the ingredients entered on the recipe card.