Creamy, lemony, and nutritious, this Red Lentil soup requires only 10 minutes of prep time, it's naturally vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free, and is suitable for babies 6 months +.
When autumn comes I just start making a lot of soups and then freezing them so I can minimize daily meal prep. And then we basically eat a soup a day...
And ever since I have adopted more of a vegetarian diet, foods like lentils and chickpeas are eaten almonst daily in our household.
So I wanted to make a really good lentil soup which you could also give to a 6-month-old baby and would be enjoyed just as much by a 30-year-old adult.
So here it is...
Ingredients
- Red Lentils - we use red lentils for their sweet and nutty flavor.
- Celery and Carrot - the basis of most great soups. Sautéing them with garlic and onion brings out the base flavor of the soup
- Vegetable Stock - nutrition and ingredients will vary depending on which you buy. Look for one with minimal sugar, salt and preservatives. Avoid it completely if making for babies under 1, just use water instead and then season the adult portions with salt separately.
- Spices and Flavoring - using ground cumin and paprika to give a wonderful earthy flavor. Lemon juice and lemon zest are a must for that last zing.
At What Age Can I Give This To My Child?
From 6 months onwards as long as you replace the vegetable stock with water so there is no added sodium in the recipe.
Soup is basically like any other puree recipe for a baby so this is a perfect nutrient-rich meal for your baby.
How to Make This
1. Sauté the veggies. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent (photo 1).
2. Bring to boil by adding vegetable stock (or water if making for babies), lentils, ground cumin, paprika, and black pepper (photo 2).
3. Simmer. Once brought to boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the lentils are fully cooked (photo 3).
4. Season and blend. Add lemon zest and lemon juice, salt, and stir (don't add salt if making for babies under 1). Blend with an immersion blender or Vitamix to make the soup creamy and smooth (photo 4).
This soup pairs really well with the Easy Wholewheat No-Knead Bread.
Options on how to serve soup to baby & toddler?
Babies
- Replace vegetable stock with water in recipe and omit salt
- 6 months old +
- Serve cooled in an open cup
- Served cooled in an open cup with a straw
- Serve with a preloaded spoon
- 1 year +
- Practice independent spoon usage. We used this training cutlery with our children or these spoons.
For advice on how to master using cutlery and drinking from an open cup read these guides:
Top Tips & FAQ
Create flavor by taking your time to sauté the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots to bring out the flavors before adding vegetable stock.
Serve warm with freshly baked bread.
Store in the fridge for 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can, but the flavor may not be as nice. If you have time, it's best to sauté the onion, garlic, celery and carrot before adding vegetable stock to bring out the flavors.
Yes, but then it is not suitable for babies until they can properly chew depending on the size of the vegetables.
Possible Recipe Variations
Make it spicier by adding chili flakes or cayenne pepper to the mix (for adults).
Add cheese on top. Feta cheese would work great crumbled on top for the adults (although it has too much sodium for babies).
Serve the soup chunky. If you don't have a blender or prefer chunky soups this one can easily be served chunky.
If you've tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then rate the recipe below and leave us a comment!
Easy Lemony Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1½ cup lentils 300g
- 6 cups vegetable stock (or water) 1.4l
- 2 tsp ground paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt omit for babies
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 large lemon - juice and zest
Instructions
- Sauté the veggies. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Bring to boil by adding vegetable stock (or water if making for babies), lentils, ground cumin and paprika and black pepper. Once brought to boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Season. Add lemon zest and lemon juice, salt and stir (don't add salt if making for babies under 1).
- Blend with an immersion blender or Vitamix to make the soup creamy and smooth.
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