Thick, creamy, rich and simple to make, Coconut Curried French Lentil Soup is an elegant, quick and delicious soup for any season. vegan + gluten free
I hardly ever watch TV. But on Monday night when the Bachelor is on, I’m parked in front of it. Time suck yes, but it appeals to me for whatever reason. Monday night was a disaster! Did you watch?
What’s up with Chris Soules? He let Kaitlyn go. He made a mistake and won’t realize it until she’s moved on with her life and it’s too late. I wanted to reach out and shake him, tell him nooooooooo. He needs a sistah right now to set him straight.
I think Chris could also use a big ol’ pot of this soup and rethink his decision. Obviously he hasn’t had a home-cooked meal in far too long, out escapading in Bali and other tropical locations. The nutrition will give him clarity and the hint of spice will get his endorphins moving, although I’m not sure that’s what he needs.
Homemade soup is like that. It’s clean-eating at its finest.
You wouldn’t know soup is made in this house each week based on how many soup recipes I’ve posted in almost a year. This is my third.
Yup.
I’ve been holding out on y’all.
But no more! And this is one you’ll love.
Thick, rich, filling, and nutritious, this curried French lentil soup is on our regular rotation.
It’s a quick weeknight soup to pull together and is so satisfying. All the ingredients are pantry staples, save the fresh herbs, so in a pinch, I can whip this soup up in no time flat.
Served with a salad and sourdough or naan, it’s a quickie!
There is more to love about this soup, besides its nutrition. It’s economical. With only a few ingredients and the spices and lentils being bought in bulk, this soup costs about $1.50 per serving. That’s a lot less than the Bachelor spent on a single rose, I’m certain.
Soup or rose? I’ll take the soup, please. Chris, will you accept this soup?
Coconut Curried French Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs Coconut Oil
- 3 Cloves of Garlic minced, about 1 1/2 Tbs
- 1 C Yellow Onion small dice, about 1
- 1 1/2 tsp Cumin ground
- 1 tsp Curry Powder I use hot madras
- 1 tsp Thyme dried
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon ground
- 6 C Vegetable Broth
- 1 1/2 C French Green Lentils picked through and rinsed, aka Lentils du Puy
- 2 Leaves Bay
- 14 oz Can of Coconut Milk with 2 Tbs reserved for drizzling (1 Can)
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Sprigs of Fresh Cilantro chopped, for garnish (optional)
- 4 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or 5 quart sauce pan on medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, stirring frequently until the onions are softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin, curry powder, thyme, and cinnamon and cook for one minute, stirring several times until fragrant.
- Pour in the broth, add the lentils and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, then turn heat to low, gently cooking the soup for about 35 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Remove the bay leaves. Transfer 1/3 - 1/2 of the soup to a high speed blender. Open the steam vent and place a damp towel over the top to allow some steam to escape while blending. Blend until smooth and thick. Alternatively, an immersion blender can be used to puree the soup. Return the pureed portion back to the soup pot and stir in the coconut milk. Add the salt and pepper and taste to adjust seasoning as desired. Gently reheat on low if needed.
- Ladle into bowls and drizzle reserved coconut milk over the soup. Garnish with fresh cilantro and/or thyme as desired.
Notes
Nutrition is provided as an estimate and courtesy. If this information is important to you, please verify it independently.
Delish. Made this for my vegie houseguest and it was a hit with the meat eaters too! They suggested some more kick with cayenne peepper. Putting it in my permanent files.
Love hearing this, S! Mmmm cayenne sounds fabulous! Thank you for sharing!
I’m sure you meant a (14) oz. can of Coconut milk?
Yes! Thank you Mel, corrected! I just switched my recipe cards on the blog and some had issues. Thank you for catching this one for me! :D
I saw the photo of this soup and I made it tonight, It was absolutely amazing. However, I did use chicken stock because that is what I has on hand. This soup smells so goooood cooking with the fragrance of curry and cumin. Feels like you’re eating in an Indian restaurant. The coconut milk defiantly makes this soup even more delicious. Great photo too. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Can’t wait to try more, especially puréed soups. This would also be great in a nice warm bread bowl.
I made this for dinner tonight and loved it. It’s simple, heart, and delicious! I used chicken, rather than vegetable stock, as that’s what I had on hand, but otherwise followed the recipe which I rarely do. This is an absolute keeper!
Hooray Pam! Thank you so much for sharing! :D
Hi! Can I sub with regular green lentils? Looks delicious!
Hi Elise! Are you referring to split peas? Most of the flavors in this soup come from the spices, so I’m sure just about any lentil will work. But I’m not sure what regular green lentils are. French lentils are dark greenish… Send a link to show me! I’d love to see what you’re working with. Go for it if you wish! Please let us know how you do!
It is so Yummy. Made it today. Tripled the recipe for a crowd. I know, that was gutsy but it worked!!! I will definitely make this again!!!
Hooray Beverly! It IS soooo good, right? I’m so excited that you tripled the recipe and it turned out… that’s not always the case with all recipes! Gutsy yes! Yay YOU!! Thank you for sharing my dear! :D
Hi Traci,
I just saw this soup, and know I must try it, however, I have zero chance of finding French lentils as I live in a very small town in the Arctic. I’m hoping that another lentil will still work in this soup? Your recipes are always soooo good, I don’t want to mess with the ingredients, but up here, improvise is the name of the game. Any thoughts on how changing them out might affect the flavour?
Hello Chris from the Artic! Thank you for writing and your kind comment. I’ve read that beluga or brown lentils would make a good sub for French Lentils, but I’m thinking those cold be problematic to get as well. Red may be a good sub, with obvious color difference. If you use red (or pink), reduce the cook time by about 5-10 minutes. Since most of the flavor comes from the spices, I don’t see the flavor changing much if you stick with lentils. And since the soup is pureed, texture shouldn’t be an issue. Good luck Chris! I hope you’ll share your results with us!
Hi Chris from the Arctic! I’m in the arctic too. No french lentils here either, but I do have Chickpeas which I’ll try to sub for French lentils.
What a great sub, Lu! I hope you enjoy it!
this looks SO delicious! I love that it’s gluten and dairy free. I’m going to try it
Oh that’s great Lisa! I hope you enjoy it! :D