Lentil and Tomato Soup (Lentils Monastery Style)

This vegan lentil and tomato soup is hearty, filling, easy and healthy (and cheap)! I usually make double and put some in the freezer so I'm stocked up for future lunches. This hearty soup recipe owes a lot to my Mother's legendary soup, which she used to make for us on bleak, cold winter nights in Sydney. They do happen!! To me it's a hug in a bowl.

this recipe

Jump to:

• 🧾Key Ingredients
• 👩‍🍳Instructions
• To Serve
• 🌶Substitutions and Variations
• 🔪Equipment
• 🥫Storage
• ❓FAQs
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

My Mum's recipe came from an early 80's edition of the Diet for a Small Planet Cookbook, and was called Lentils Monastery Style. The book put into words what I was thinking, even as a teen in the early 90's... that there is another way to eat, that we didn't have to be cruel to eat deliciously & well, and that what we eat can positively or negatively affect everyone's future. 

But that's not why I loved Mum's tomato lentil soup so much, I loved the bite and slight meatiness of the lentils, the fragrant herbs and the richness of the tomato & how all the flavours came together and perfectly balanced to create a delicious, warming soup. Simply served with a hunk of bread it's a whole meal in itself. I especially like to make Vegan Garlic Bread in the Air Fryer or whip up a batch of Chickpea Flour Flatbreads to mop up the soupy goodness.

If you want to try other hearty soups that will warm your cockles, why not try this Soothing Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup or my other favourite, Vegan Yellow Split Pea & 'Ham' Soup. It's also nice to have a classic tomato soup handy, and this Easy Tomato Soup Recipe is perfect for dunking a cheese toastie into.

🧾Key Ingredients

• Green Lentils or Puy Lentils: You could also use little brown lentils. I love the pepperyness of the French Lentils known as Lentilles du Puy the best though! For this soup, I think that red or yellow lentils are too soft and disintegrate.
• Tomato Passata: Simple and easy to find in bottles or tetra packs. You can also use canned crushed tomatoes which work just as well, or a combination of the two to create a lovely rich texture and flavor.
• Tomato Paste: This adds an extra depth of rich tomatoey flavour to the soup.
• Vegetable Boullion/Stock: A vegetable broth makes a soup sing. If you don't have any that you have made yourself, use a good quality powdered one (I like the Marigold best) or a quality stock cube,
• Carrots & Onions: Both these add sweetness and depth of flavour, besides being cupboard staples and cheap to boot. A large onion and a few carrots is all you need.
• Herbs: Oregano, thyme and a bay leaf or tow. - either use all three, or just use what you have to hand. This recipe is pretty adaptable.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: As this soup is so simple, the little bit of olive oil that you use to sautee the veggies in does make a difference to the overall flavor of the rich tomato lentil soup.
• Flakey Salt and Cracked Black Pepper: To taste.
• OPTIONAL:
  • Chilli- a little fresh or dried chilli adds heat if you want a spicey soup.
  • Red Wine- The original Lentil's Monastery Style uses dry sherry. I never have that to hand so add in red wine instead.
  • Garlic- optional, but garlic to me makes everything taste better.

👩‍🍳Instructions

Here's how to make this super simple vegan lentil and tomato soup.

• chop up and cook the onion and carrot.
• add the passata, lentils, wine, stock and herbs.
• simmer until the lentils are tender.
• serve up!

🌶Substitutions and Variations

The basic ingredients of this soup are simple and are mostly pantry ingredients, so you can customise it to your own taste preferences.

• Spicy/Chilli: Add some red pepper flakes or a some hot sauce to taste. A little bit of spice is delicious with this soup. Add as much or little as you like.
• Other types of lentils: I use green or puy lentils, however you can use black lentils too. Red lentils can also be used, but will need less cooking time and will make a thicker, less defined soup.
• Other vegetables: Add finely chopped fennel, cubes of sweet potatoes or parsnips to the soup according to what you have to hand. Red bell pepper would also be delicious.
• Alcohol-free: Instead of wine, add some Apple cider Vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar. This balances the flavours without the need for wine.
• Creamy soup: If you prefer a blended creamy texture for your soup, why not use an immersion blender or blend in a high speed jug blender before serving.

🔪Equipment

You'll only need a few key pieces of equipment to make this one pot lentil soup recipe.

1. A good knife for cutting
2. A decent sized heavy based saucepan or stove top safe casserole dish, large soup pot or dutch oven.

🥫Storage

Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Alternatively, I like to make a big batch of soup then portion it into one or two person serves and freeze. That way I can bring out soup whenever I need it all winter long.

So here it is.... My take on the Diet for a Small Planet's Lentil's Monastery style... as introduced to me by my Mother.

 (Thanks Mum!) 

📖 Recipe