Healthy, delicious, and packed with delicious flavor, this comforting soup is all you’ll need on a chilly day. Lentil lovers rejoice, this flavorful and low-fat Lemony Thyme Lentil Soup is packed with rainbow goodness like protein-packed lentils, hearty potatoes, sweet carrots, earthy spinach, and rich tomatoes all bathed in a lemony thyme broth. Grab a bowl and hunker down with this cozy soup.

Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.

Hi there, Ameera here!

We are a lentil loving family, and this soup totally delivers on lentil goodness. The broth is lightly seasoned with zingy hints of lemon and earthy thyme.

We went with a lighter flavored broth that can totally be boosted to by extra lemon and or extra thyme. We all had slightly different preference amounts during the kitchen tests. Some really loved a POW of lemon, while others preferred just a hint.

We recommend starting with the amounts given and then boosting up your favorite seasonings. Either way, this dish is truly delicious and totally adaptable. I think that is one of the best things about soups. They are so easily adjusted to suit your personal taste.

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.

Brown Lentils

Our favorite lentil is the brown lentil, also called the Spanish brown or Pardina lentil. Why you might ask?

Well that’s easy, they have a sturdy structure, a tiny bit firmer, hold their shape well while cooking and have a higher protein content than regular lentils. Plus, they have a mild, almost nutty like taste.

Where can I find them?

Some grocery stores carry brown lentils, but not a ton. We buy ours from Palouse Brand. We love them.  AND before you suspect, this is NOT a sponsored advertisement from Palouse Brand.  We just love them that much.

While they do not openly advertise that their lentils are gluten free (potential cross contamination), send them an email, give them the packaging code on the bag and they will provide you with the gluten content (recorded with every batch).  EVERY bag we have ever purchased from them has been gluten free. YAYYY!!!  Because as a Celiac family, it is hard to find gluten free lentils (or bean/legumes of any kind, but especially lentils).

You can certainly use green lentils in this recipe, and I promise you that if you love lentils, you will love this recipe whether you use brown or green lentils.

Soup!

We specifically made this soup for my Dad. He absolutely loves lentil soup, but he especially loves a lemony-thyme flavored lentil soup.

I will never forget his face when he took his first bite, it was pure bliss.  He nearly ate the whole entire batch of soup.  Mom and I only got a few small bowls of each kitchen test.

Hi!  Robin here!

This soup is lightly seasoned with lemon and thyme. You get the beautiful nuances of both flavors without being over powered. We all loved it. It is so tasty!

We hope you give this recipe a try, it’s sooooo good! If you try this comforting soup, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us!  We would love to hear from you.

Products Used:

• Ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven or similar large stock pot with a tight-fitting lid

Lemony Thyme Lentil Soup

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 35 Minutes
• Total Time: 50 Minutes (+15 Minutes)
• Yield: 4-5 Servings 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop

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Description

This flavorful and low-fat Lemony Thyme Lentil Soup is easy to make and packed with rainbow goodness all bathed in a delicious lemony thyme broth. Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow onion, fine dice
• 2 medium celery ribs, small dice
• 2 medium carrots, small dice
• 2 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 cups vegetable broth *
• 2 cups water (or broth)
• 1 Tablespoon miso *
• 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari *
• 1 – [ 14.5 oz. can ] petite diced tomatoes
• 2/3 to ¾ cup dry brown lentils (or green lentils) (+/-) *
• 1.5 lbs. Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 4 medium potatoes)
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda *

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 ½ teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Other Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (+/-) *
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon zest (+/-) *
• 3 cups baby spinach (+/-) *

Optional Toppings:

• Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• Red pepper flake

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Instructions

1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
2. In a large ceramic/enamel-lined Dutch oven, skillet or similar stock pot, add the diced onions, celery, and carrots; sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 9 minutes.  Add a tablespoon or so of vegetable broth or water if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
3. Add the minced garlic, sauté for one minute, stirring constantly, then add all the remaining Base Ingredients (except the baking soda) and Spice/Herb Mix, bring to a boil, then add the baking soda, stir well, then cover with a lid, then lower to a simmer.  Simmer for 25 to 35 minutes or until the potatoes and lentils tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Once the lentils and potatoes are tender, stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest and simmer for a few minutes, then add the baby spinach, stir well. Remove the pot from the stove and allow to sit uncovered for 15 minutes.  This will allow the flavors to marry and develop.
5. Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley and red pepper flakes.

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Notes

*Tips for Success: 

• Potato size is important! Don’t cut them too small or they will disintegrate before the lentils are done.  Figure out the size you want to eat, then increase that size a little bit since the potatoes will break down a tiny bit.
• Never do a heavy rolling boil once you get the soup boiling. Your potatoes will completely disintegrate. Get the broth up to a boil, then lower to a simmer and place the lid on.  When you remove the lid to occasionally check on the soup, the broth should be lightly boiling.
• Check the tenderness of the lentils occasionally. Lentils tend to cook based upon a number of factors including how old they are (older lentils take longer) and the type of lentil (green versus brown).

Notes Continued:

*Lemon Juice/Lemon Zest:  The amount of lemon flavor is really a personal preference.  Our family was divided over the amount of lemon and lemon zest to use in this recipe.  Start on the lower end and build from there.

*Spinach:  Spinach is a natural spice neutralizer.  The longer you cook spinach, the more it will mellow out spice flavors. Your dish may have the perfect blend of spices before you put the spinach in and will continue if you only cook the spinach for a minute or so, but the longer you cook spinach, the spices will start to neutralize.  We mention this because it is important to keep this in mind based upon when you plan to serve the dish. Sometimes, we won’t put the spinach in until one minute before we serve it.

*Vegetable Stock:   We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.

*Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium.  You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.

*Brown Lentils: We used Palouse Brand Small Brown Lentils (Pardina Lentils).  You can use any dry brown or green lentil you wish.  If you prefer a thick soup, then use ¾ cup of dry lentils. If you enjoy more broth, then use 2/3 cup of dry lentils. If using green lentils, please watch them closely at the 20-25 minutes mark to check their tenderness.

*Miso:  We used Miso Master Organic Mellow White Premium Lite Miso, Certified Gluten Free.  Miso really lends itself to balancing flavors when you don’t use oil.  You can also use chickpea miso for a soy free version.

*Dried Thyme Crushed Leaves:  We use Penzeys French Thyme.  It has amazing flavor.  If you can’t find dried crushed thyme leaves, you can use ground thyme, but use half the amount.

*Baking Soda:  The baking soda is used in this recipe to help neutralize the acidity from the tomatoes and enhances the cooking process of the lentils and potatoes.  Any time you have dry beans and/or potatoes introduced with an acid like tomatoes, it takes the liquids longer to penetrate the cellular wall of the potatoes and lentils.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Serves: 4 to 5

*Storage:  Refrigerate and use within 5 days.

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.