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This fantastic spiced tomato soup with lentils makes an approachable yet surprisingly nuanced dinner straight from the pantry in 45 minutes. Vegan, gluten-free, and totally satisfying.
Why we love this recipe
Flavored with a combination of the Indonesian chili paste sambal oelek and the Indian ground spice blend garam masala, this spiced tomato soup with red lentils makes sense only in a globalized world. I’m glad it exists, though, because the flavors work so well together. It’s:
- Simple, accessible, and weeknight-friendly
- A little different from the same old thing
- Unimpeachably nutritious
- Satisfying on its own or paired with crusty bread or naan
- Make-ahead and freezer-friendly
I first published this recipe here way back in 2011, adapted from Australian Women’s Weekly magazine via a friend. I’ve since updated the post for clarity and made some tweaks to the recipe itself.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Red lentils (sometimes called masoor) are a wonderful, versatile ingredient. They’re small and quick-cooking, full of protein and complex carbs, and great at soaking up flavors. There are several varieties commonly sold in the U.S., some smaller and redder, some a little bigger and more peach-colored. You can use them all interchangeably in this recipe.
- Canned or boxed diced tomatoes have just the right texture for this soup. They start with plenty of liquid and thicken up a bit with simmering.
- Reduced-sodium Imagine No Chicken Broth is my favorite boxed veggie broth by far, since it somehow magically has the flavor profile of a good chicken stock rather than being weirdly red and tasting tinny or sweet, as some other vegetable broths can do.
- Sambal oelek is a widely available Indonesian chili paste made from chilis, vinegar, and salt. It has a nice clean flavor profile and is very versatile. The amount used in this soup contributes a gentle, cozy heat that’s more of a background note than anything. You can easily add more if you prefer without changing anything else.
- Garam masala is a ground spice blend that hails from India. There are many, many versions, but the ones in U.S. supermarkets tend to contain cardamom, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cloves, fennel, cinnamon, star anise, mace, and/or nutmeg, in varying proportions.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a great pot of spiced tomato soup with red lentils. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First you’ll cook the onion in the olive oil, and then add the garlic and ground spices.
- Stir in the sambal oelek and tomato paste, then add the rest of the ingredients.
- Give it all a good stir and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until lentils are tender and flavors have blended.
Expert tips and FAQ
This ingredient is usually pretty easy to find in U.S. grocery stores and online. But if that doesn’t suit you for any reason, you can substitute sriracha, with or without a little bit of rice vinegar. The flavor profiles aren’t identical by any means, but it’s a pretty good swap.
Absolutely. Spiced tomato soup, like many soups, gets even better as the flavors have a chance to blend. It keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a year, so make it anytime you like.
More favorite vegan soup recipes
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Spiced Tomato Soup with Red Lentils
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions, about (200 grams) total, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
- ¼ cup (60 grams) tomato paste
- 2 28- ounce 793-gram cans diced tomatoes
- 4 cups good vegetable broth
- ½ cup (70 grams) uncooked red lentils, rinsed well and drained
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a 5-quart heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onions and salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin, and garam masala and cook, stirring, one minute more.
- Stir in the sambal oelek and tomato paste.
- Add the diced tomatoes, broth, lentils, sugar, and cilantro, and stir to combine well.
- Raise the heat to high to bring the soup to a boil.
- Lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until lentils are very tender and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.
Notes
- The amount if sambal oelek used in this recipe contributes a gentle, cozy heat that's more of a background note than anything. You can easily add more if you prefer more spice, without changing anything else.
- Like many soups, this one gets even better as the flavors have a chance to blend. It keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a year, so make it anytime you like.
- This recipe is adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly via a friend. I first shared it here in 2011 and have made a few tweaks over the years.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi! I was googling for my fave soup recipes for ‘Matthew who is interested in cooking soups today…..googled tomato and coriander women’s weekly and soup….and you were 4th on the list!!!! It was fun to read! From your choir director and friend x
That’s fun! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Carolyn, thanks so much for the recipe. I just made it and it’s delicious! I ramped up the sambal oelek because I like my food spicy but otherwise didn’t change anything.
This is going into my regular rotation, for sure! So healthy and delicious.
Hi Carolyn,
Made this this evening and really enjoyed it (13-year old liked it, 4-year old did not). Did make too much, though, and with my husband out of town I don’t think it will all get eaten soon enough. We rarely have leftovers, so I am not accustomed to freezing meals. Do you happen to know if this freezes well?
Thanks!
Lori
Hi Lori, glad you liked it. I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze it (though I’ve never tried). The texture of the lentils might change a bit, but I would think it would still taste good.
When I lived in England, I sang with the Imperial College Choir. It didn’t seem to matter that I wasn’t part of the university or that I was older than most of the kids. We made great music and I loved it. The choir director I had has moved on, but it might be worth checking out for you!!
I’m from Australia and the Women’s Weekly is definitely a credible source for a recipe. They are more concerned with meals that are easy to cook at home than anything else, though.
Excellent, thanks for the confirmation! I did find it funny that this recipe brings together both garam masala and sambal oelek in a strange cultural mishmash of prepared spice blends, but what can I say? It really works. It’s quite the metaphor for the life of an expat in a multicultural city, in case you wanted a side of armchair philosophy with your easy-to-cook dinner. 🙂