Black Bean and Lentil Soup

This black bean and lentil soup is packed with nourishing ingredients and is a must-make on cold days! It is perfect for loading up on nutritious vegetables, fiber, and protein. Plus, it's super flavorful and very easy to make.

If you're looking for more soup recipes to try, be sure to add this black bean and lentil soup to your list! It's perfect for feeding your family or for preparing a quick and delicious dinner for yourself (plus, this recipe is freezer-friendly, which is always great for meal prep!).

It is packed with nutritious ingredients, has the best flavor, and is very satiating. It's also really easy to make in one big pot, which means fewer dishes to clean up after cooking.

And if you've tried some of my other soup recipes, such as my German sausage lentil soup or white bean and kale soup, I'm sure that you'll love this soup recipe, too!

Black Bean and Lentil Soup Ingredients

To make this black bean and lentil soup, you'll need the following ingredients:

• Lentils: You'll need green or brown lentils for this recipe. Just pick the type of lentil you'd usually use for soups. I used brown lentils for this recipe.
• Black Beans: You'll also need black beans. I recommend using canned black beans as they can be used immediately. If you prefer dried beans, feel free to use them. Just make sure to soak them in advance so that they are ready when you want to start cooking.
• Vegetables: For this soup, you'll need carrots, celery, and kale. You'll also need lemons for a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to finish the soup.
• Aromatics: Yellow onion and garlic are a must to make this soup taste flavorful and delicious! So be sure to use them.
• Vegetable broth: Vegetable broth is used as the soup base. You can use water, but I would recommend sticking with vegetable broth. It adds a lot of flavor which is always great when making soups!
• Spices: You'll need paprika powder, curry powder, ground cumin, and red pepper flakes to make this black bean and lentil soup. This combination of spices tastes amazing with the other ingredients in this soup!
• Tomato paste: Tomato paste is another important ingredient that adds richness and flavor to the soup, so be sure to have some on hand when you make this recipe.
• Bay leaves: Bay leaves really add to the flavor of this soup and make it taste super aromatic and delicious!

How to make black bean and lentil soup

Sauté the vegetables and aromatics. First, preheat some olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Then add the aromatics and vegetables and sauté until the vegetables start to soften.

Season and sauté. Next, add the tomato paste and spices. Continue to sauté everything for 1-2 minutes to toast the spices.

Combine and simmer. Add the lentils, black beans, vegetable broth, and bay leaves to the pot. Stir, cover the pot, and let the soup simmer for about 25 minutes until the lentils are tender.

Blend and stir in the kale. When the lentils are tender, take out the bay leaves. Blend the soup partially with an immersion blender. Then stir in the kale and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Finish and serve. Finish the soup with a squeeze of lemon juice and stir everything. Serve, garnish with parsley, and enjoy this black bean and lentil soup!

Tips & Notes

• Be sure to sauté everything after adding the spices and tomato paste. The soup will taste a lot more flavorful and delicious when you toast the spices and tomato paste!
• Don't forget to take out the bay leaves before blending the soup. You don't want to blend the bay leaves with the other ingredients, so make sure that you remove them before blending the soup.
• If you don't have an immersion blender, use a regular blender. You can just spoon some of your soup into a stand mixer and use it to blend the soup. If both options aren't available to you, you can enjoy the soup without blending it. I just prefer blending it to thicken the broth and to make it taste a tiny bit more flavorful.
• Make sure that the lentils are tender before blending some of the soup. As cook time varies with the type of lentil that is used, I recommend checking the package instructions and checking the lentils before blending.

Variations

• Use another type of beans or lentils. You could use green lentils instead of brown lentils. Or you could use white beans or kidney beans instead of black beans. It's an easy way to switch up the flavor of this soup.
• Stir in some baby spinach instead of kale. Both are great options for adding some leafy greens to your soup! Just pick the one that you prefer.
• Switch up the seasoning of the soup. You could use some chili powder, cayenne pepper, or dried herbs. The soup tastes great as is but you can definitely switch things up!

Frequently Asked Questions

More easy and delicious soups and stews

If you are looking for more simple and tasty soups and stews that you can try, make sure to check out the following recipes. They are very easy to make and taste incredibly flavorful and delicious!

• Vegetarian Chili
• German Sausage Lentil Soup
• White Bean and Kale Soup
• Lentil Potato Soup
• German Potato Soup