As the weather cools off, it’s the perfect time for this Super Comforting Fennel and Red Lentil Soup Recipe! It’s a new soup in our repertoire, we came up with it one day when we wanted a warm comforting soup, but we didn’t have time to chop a whole bunch of veggies. We just searched our fridge and pantry and this crazy good red lentil soup recipe was born.
This is a hearty, thick soup that makes for a delicious lunch or dinner option. This red lentil soup recipe is filled with shiitake mushrooms, fresh fennel, veggie broth, and some herbs and spices. It’s vegan and gluten-free, so it’s an allergy-friendly recipe that’s filled with savory, comforting flavor. We would totally recommend meal-prepping with this soup and having it on hand all week for tasty and filling lunches!
Are Red Lentils Good for Soup?
Yes! Red lentils are especially good for soup. They don’t need to soak (just a thorough rinse will do!) and they soften and cook quickly. Fun fact: red lentils aren’t actually red, they’re orange, and they turn yellow while cooking. If you would like to save money Indian supermarkets usually have a wide and inexpensive selection of lentils, beans, and spices. You can find red lentils labeled as Masoor Daal.
One of our favorite things about red lentils is that they soak up the flavors you cook them in, which makes them totally versatile. You can customize them in any way you like! As a nutritional bonus, one cup of cooked red lentils has 270 calories, 8gr of fiber and 24gr of protein. They are naturally vegan and gluten-free and they will keep you full for hours.
What is Fennel?
Fennel is a root vegetable that some home cooks may be apprehensive about using. When served raw, it has a slight anise/licorice taste. However, when you cook it, it becomes sweet and has a truly delightful flavor that is worth a try, if you haven’t cooked with fennel before. You’ll also get a healthy dose of Vitamin C, iron, fiber, and potassium. Amazing! See images on how to cut fennel in this Fennel and Chickpea Stew Recipe. Do you need inspiration on what recipe to make with fennel, cooked, or raw? Check out these Fennel Recipes:
- Braised Fennel With Apricots & Figs
- Stuffed Eggplant With Fennel & White Beans
- Persimmon Fennel Salad
- Pickled Fennel & Carrots
- Fennel, Blood Orange & Hazelnut Salad
- Warm Roasted Fennel Salad for Two
How to Make Fennel and Red Lentil Soup Recipe From Scratch
This is a really simple Red Lentil Soup Recipe! You will be amazed by how easily it comes together and before you know it, you have a delicious and satisfying soup on the stovetop.
- We chop the shiitake mushrooms and slice fennel in a food processor to save time, we used the slicing blade for the fennel because its slices it nice and small. We used the "S" blade to finely chop the shiitake mushrooms. You have the option to slice the fennel by hand if you prefer, we just find that the processor saves quite a bit of time. A quick rinse of the food processor bowl and clean up is done!
- Saute mushrooms and fennel with turmeric, oregano, salt, pepper, and some optional fennel seeds.
- From there add veggie broth and well-rinsed red lentils. Let the soup cook until all the flavors come together and it’s nice and thick!
Separate stem and caps of the shiitake mushrooms. You can either discard the stems or place use them in a cheesecloth to flavor other soups Use the slicing blade of your food processor to thinly slice the fennel into small pieces Finely chopped the shiitake mushrooms in a food processor Saute mushrooms, fennel and garlic in a soup pot
What to Serve With Lentil Soup
We love to serve a bowl of this hearty, colorful Red Lentil Soup recipe with a good side dish! Our Za’atar Foccacia Bread would be a perfect addition to your weeknight, or consider a salad such as our Easy Tomato Avocado Chickpea Salad.
More Lentil Recipes
- Lentil Meatballs in Tahini Turmeric Sauce
- Freekeh & Lentil Stuffed Peppers
- Beluga Lentil & Pomegranate Baba Ghanoush
- Rice and Lentils (Mjadra)
- Green Lentil Garlicky Mac & Cheese
- Turmeric Coconut Lentil Quinoa Bowl
- Spiced Coconut Dal
DID YOU LIKE OUR RED LENTIL SOUP RECIPE WITH FENNEL AND TURMERIC?
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
Super Comforting Fennel and Red Lentil Soup Recipe
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is a hearty, thick soup that makes for a delicious lunch or dinner option. This red lentil soup recipe is filled with shiitake mushrooms, fresh fennel, veggie broth, herbs and spices. It’s vegan and gluten-free, so it’s an allergy-friendly recipe that’s filled with savory, comforting flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ lbs fresh shiitake mushrooms (see note 1), stems removed, chopped small in a food processor or by hand
- 2 heads of fennel, fronds removed, sliced small and thin in the food processor or by hand
- 2 cups of red lentils picked and rinsed (see note 2 about rinsing red lentils)
- 8 cups of veggie broth, no-chicken broth or water (see note 3)
- 1-2 teaspoon salt (See note 4)
- 2 tsp dry oregano
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the garlic, and cook over medium heat for 1 minute
- Add the chopped mushrooms and sliced fennel and cook over medium-high for 7 minutes, stirring often
- Add the lentils and the water or broth. Add salt, oregano, turmeric, black pepper, and fennel seeds if using. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer 35 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste
Notes
- Shiitake mushrooms give this red lentil recipe the most flavor and "meatiness". If you cannot find Shiitake mushrooms you can use any other type of mushroom of your choice.
- Place the lentils on a large plate and pick any little rocks or debris. Rinse them thoroughly by placing them in a fine mesh colander under running water, until the water runs clear.
- If you're using water instead of broth, you might need to adjust the seasoning once the soup is cooked.
- We used 2 teaspoon of salt. You can start with 1 teaspoon and adjust as needed depending on if you're using a broth that already contains salt.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 185
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 702
- Fat: 2.5
- Saturated Fat: .4
- Unsaturated Fat: 2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 32.5
- Fiber: 6.4
- Protein: 10.4
- Cholesterol: 0
Cindy
Love filling soup and this is a great one. Easy recipe and it doesn’t take long to cook.
Vicky & Ruth
We love quick and easy soups too. Enjoy our red lentil soup recipe!
Ann
This was delicious and filling, and the calorie count and macros fitted perfectly into my weight loss diet. I used rehydrated dried porcini instead of the shitake, and added heat via cayenne powder. Half a cup for lunch, 1 cup for dinner, I topped it with a sprinkle of Ajika seasoning powder from Trader Joes - just perfect!
Vicky and Ruth
Loving your variations to this recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Jesse
So delicious! I had to add a little more water when I had about 10 minutes left because it needed more moisture—but I think it's my fault for having the temperature too high. I also added some kale for color but otherwise left the recipe as-is and I love it!
Vicky and Ruth
I love the addition of Kale. Thank you for sharing!