Smoky Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A thick, sunny-orange lentil soup built on soft onion and carrot, tomato paste and smoked paprika. There's no cream or cheese to split in the freezer, so it reheats exactly as good as the day you made it — just wake it up with a squeeze of lemon in the bowl. One pot, pantry ingredients, and six dinners banked.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 2 cups dried red lentils, rinsed
• 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 2 whole lemons, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, for 8–10 minutes until soft and just starting to colour.
2. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, smoked paprika and cumin. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens to brick red and smells toasty — this is where the smoky depth comes from.
3. Add the rinsed lentils, crushed tomatoes, broth and 1 tsp salt. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, partially cover, and cook 25–30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so the lentils don't catch on the bottom. The lentils should collapse completely and the soup should coat a spoon.
4. Taste and adjust salt. If you want it silky, blitz briefly with an immersion blender; leave it as is for a chunkier soup. Serve straight away with a lemon wedge squeezed over each bowl.
5. TO FREEZE: cool the soup uncovered for 30 minutes, then chill in the fridge until cold (about 2 hours). Ladle into freezer bags or airtight containers in 2-portion amounts, leaving 1 inch of headroom for expansion. Press bags flat, label with the date, and freeze up to 3 months. Do not freeze the lemon wedges — cut fresh ones on the day.
6. TO REHEAT FROM FROZEN: tip the frozen block into a saucepan with 3 tbsp water, cover, and set over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon as it loosens and stirring often. Bring to a full simmer for 2 minutes before serving.
7. TO REHEAT FROM THAWED: microwave a portion on high for 3–4 minutes, stirring halfway, or warm in a pan over medium heat for 6–8 minutes. The soup thickens in the freezer, so thin with water or broth a splash at a time until it pours again, then finish with a fresh squeeze of lemon.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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