Vegan Creamy Enchilada Lentil Soup! Here in Ohio, we’ve got cozy and comforting on our mind and this veggie packed lentil soup is calling our name.

Wholesome and hearty, this oil free Vegan Creamy Enchilada Lentil Soup has the essence of enchiladas, but in delicious soup form. Creamy, spicy, and full of flavor, you won’t believe how incredibly tasty this soup is.

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

Hi there, Ameera here!

If you have been following our blog for a while, then you know Mom is all about Southwestern flavors.  She is always trying to make Southwestern dishes!

Mom and I worked this deliciousness up into a flavor explosion that you need to experience!  If you love enchiladas and you love soup, then you know this recipe was created just for you!

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: This is a delicious spicy enchilada lentil soup, the spiciness (heat) is slightly tempered with a cashew cream.  This soup is full of flavor.
• Enchilada Sauce: We used our Enchilada Sauce.  Feel free to use your favorite enchilada sauce recipe or store-bought enchilada sauce.  If purchasing from the store, be sure to select a 10 oz. can of mild enchilada sauce.
• Mild Green Chiles: Make sure you use the mild green chiles.
• Cashew Cream: Make sure you scrape down the sides and lid to get all the cashew cream.  We didn’t use a lot, so you need to get it all out of the blender to slightly temper the spiciness of this soup.
• Cashew Substitutes: You can try the typical cashew substitutes: silken tofu, white beans, other nuts or seeds with the understanding that the flavor and texture will change accordingly.  You may need to adjust/add ingredients to compensate.   We have not tested any substitutions.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes.  We use it in this soup to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the enchilada sauce and petite diced tomatoes) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity.  Additionally, the baking soda also helps speed the cooking process of the lentils.
• Regular Chili Powder: Feel free to use your favorite chili powder, just be sure to select a mild one and not one that has a lot of heat to it.
• Lentils: We strongly recommend brown lentils for this recipe. Green lentils will work, but then tend to get too mushy. Brown lentils tend to hold their texture better than green. We do not recommend red lentils.  If using green lentils, adjust the cooking time accordingly.
• Simmer Lentils: Do not cook lentils at a rolling bowl, they will cook too fast and cause them to split and get mushy.
• Testing the Tenderness of the Lentils: Just pull out a few lentils and give them a taste to check for tenderness.
• Beans: We used pinto beans, feel free to use your favorite bean.
• Cornmeal/Masa Harina: Typically, masa harina would be used to give this dish a more authentic flavor, but cornmeal works equally well, both are optional. The cornmeal (masa harina) thickens the broth perfectly and gives the soup dimension.  We absolutely loved it.  We strongly recommend it, but it is not an essential ingredient.
• Adding of Sea Salt: We recommend adding the sea salt near the end as sea salt tends to toughen the shell of the lentils which may take the lentils longer to cook if added too early.
• Amount of Sea Salt: We had family members completely divided over the amount of sea salt needed to season this soup, feel free to adjust to suit your own tastes accordingly.
• Instant Pot: You can make this recipe in the Instant Pot, adding all the Base Ingredients and Spice/Herb Mix to the pot. Set the pressure time for the type of lentils selected.  After the soup has cooked in the IP, add the Cashew Cream and Other Ingredients and sea salt at the end.  Allow to set for 10 minutes for the flavors to marry before taste testing for additional seasoning.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered container.  Reheating can be done on the stovetop or in the microwave.

This dish can be frozen.

Pantry Products Used:

• 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.
• Lentils: We used Palouse Brand Small Brown Lentils.  They are delicious.  They hold their shape well and have a slightly nutty taste to them.  Feel free to use your favorite brown lentil or French lentils.
• Hot Sauce: We used Frank’s RedHot Original Hot Sauce.
• Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Kitchen Products Used:

• Ceramic/Enamel Lined Dutch Oven or similarly large stock pot

If you try this flavorful 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.

Vegan Creamy Enchilada Lentil Soup

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 60 Minutes
• Total Time: 75 Minutes
• Yield: 10 Cups 1x
• Category: Soup, Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Wholesome and hearty, this oil free Vegan Creamy Enchilada Lentil Soup has the essence of enchiladas, but in delicious soup form.

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
• ½ red bell pepper, fine dice
• ½ green bell pepper, fine dice
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
• 3 cups water
• 1 – [ 14.5 oz. can ] petite diced tomatoes
• 1 – [ 10 oz. can ] enchilada sauce (1 cup) *
• 1 – [ 4 oz. can ] diced mild green chilies, undrained *
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce *
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda *
• 1 cup uncooked brown lentils (or French lentils), picked through and rinsed * 

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 ¼ teaspoon chili powder (+/-) *
• ¼ teaspoon cumin (+/-)
• 1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder (+/-)
• ½ to 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt (+/-) * 

Cashew Cream Ingredients:

• ¼ cup [raw] cashews
• ¼ cup unsweetened plain plant milk

Other Ingredients:

• ¾ cup corn
• 1 – [ 15 oz. can ] pinto beans, drained and rinsed *
• 2 Tablespoon cornmeal (or masa harina) (optional) * 

Serving Ideas:

• Topped with avocado chunks
• Topped with cilantro
• Tortilla chips

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Instructions

1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the sea salt) in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
2. In a large ceramic/enamel-lined Dutch oven or similar stock pot, add the diced onions, and red and green bell peppers; 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. Next add the minced garlic, sauté, stirring constantly for one minute, then add all the remaining Base Ingredients(except the baking soda and lentils) and the Spice/Herb Mix. Stir well to mix, bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer.
4. Add the baking soda, stir constantly for 30 seconds to allow the baking soda to settle, then add the lentils, stir. Cover the pot (slightly ajar), simmer with a gentle low boil for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, add the corn and pinto beans, continue to gently boil with the lid on (slightly ajar) until the lentils are tender (approximately 5 to 15 more minutes).
6. In the meantime, place the cashews into a small bowl, cover with boiling water, allow to soak for 15 to 20 minutes. After 15 to 20 minutes, discard the water and make the cashew cream by adding the soaked cashews and plant milk into a high-speed blender and blending until smooth and emulsified, approx. 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides halfway through.
7. When the lentils are tender, stir in the cashew cream, cornmeal, and sea salt. Simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes. Remove from the stove and allow to sit for 10 minutes for the flavors to marry.  Serve with avocado chunks, chopped cilantro and/or tortilla chips.

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Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.

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

*Servings: 5 to 6 (makes 10 cups)

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