The Easiest Lentil Soup Recipe You'll Make From A Tin

Tinned lentils are already cooked, which means you're not waiting for anything to break down, and a 400g tin costs under a pound at most UK supermarkets. You get a thick, filling soup in under half an hour with very little effort.

This recipe serves four as a lunch or two as a main meal. It's naturally vegan, it keeps in the fridge for four days, and it freezes well.

What you'll need

These are all standard UK store cupboard and fridge items.

For four servings:

1 x 400g tin of green or brown lentils (drained and rinsed)

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 litre of vegetable stock (made from a cube is fine)

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced small

1 stick of celery, diced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp ground turmeric

Salt and black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil or any neutral cooking oil

A small handful of fresh parsley or coriander to finish, if you've got it (optional)

A squeeze of lemon juice at the end makes a real difference. Keep a lemon handy if you can.

A note on which tinned lentils to use

Green and brown lentils give you a soup with some texture rather than a smooth purée like red lentils. If you want something closer to a blended soup, tinned red lentils work well and most supermarkets stock them now. For this recipe, go with green or brown because they eat better as a chunky soup without any blending.

One thing worth checking: some brands salt their tinned lentils and some don't, so taste before you add any extra salt. If you've also added a stock cube, it can tip over. Check the ingredients panel before you season.

How to make it

This takes about 25 minutes from start to finish.

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is cooked through and starting to colour at the edges.

2. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Don't let it burn.

3. Add the cumin, smoked paprika, and turmeric. Stir them into the vegetables and let them cook for 30 seconds or so. This takes the raw edge off the spices.

4. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stir everything together.

5. Add the stock and bring the whole thing up to a simmer.

6. Drain and rinse the tinned lentils in a sieve under cold water, then tip them in.

7. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes. The soup will thicken as it sits. If it gets too thick, add a splash more water or stock.

8. Taste for seasoning. Add salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

9. Serve with crusty bread or a flatbread, with the parsley or coriander scattered over the top if you're using it.

That's it. No blending required unless you want to. If you do want a smoother texture, take a stick blender to about half of it and stir it back in. That gives you a soup that's partly thick and creamy, partly chunky, and it works well.

Where people go wrong with tinned lentil soup

The most common mistake is rushing the base. If you don't cook the onion, carrot, and celery down properly before you add anything else, the whole soup tastes flat. Eight minutes feels like a long time when you're standing there, but it's what gives the soup its flavour. The vegetables need to be fully cooked and starting to caramelise slightly before the spices go in.

The second mistake is adding the tinned lentils too early and then cooking them for 30 minutes as though they were dried. Tinned lentils are already cooked. All they need is time to absorb the flavour of the broth. If you cook them too long they'll turn to mush and disappear into the soup. Twelve to fifteen minutes is enough.

How to vary it

This is a solid base recipe and it takes additions well.

If you want more heat, add half a teaspoon of chilli flakes with the other spices, or stir in a teaspoon of harissa paste when the tomatoes go in.

A tin of coconut milk in place of about 200ml of the stock takes it in a completely different direction. Add a teaspoon of garam masala instead of the paprika and you've got something that works well served over rice.

Wilted spinach stirred in right at the end is an easy way to add greens. About two large handfuls, straight from the bag, stirred in for the last two minutes.

Chorizo works if you're not keeping it vegan. Slice it and fry it in the pan first, remove it, cook the vegetables in the leftover fat, then add the chorizo back in when the lentils go in.

Enjoy your tasty soup with crusty bread and you're good to go!