Vegan Cauliflower Soup with Red Lentils
Vegan Cauliflower Soup with Red Lentils is creamy, chunky, satisfying and delicious!
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 77kcal
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized onion (approx 2 cups diced)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground corriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 large carrots approx. 2 cups sliced
- 3 celery stalks approx. 1 cup chopped
- 1 ¼ cups dried red lentils rinsed and drained
- 8 Cups Vegetable Stock
- 1 small head cauliflower*
Instructions
- Prepare veggies: dice onion, mince garlic, slice carrots and celery and cut cauliflower into florets.
- Heat soup pot over medium heat. Swirl in 1 Tablespoon water or veggie broth and saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. If pan gets too dry, add more water 1 Tablespoon at a time, as needed.
- Stir in spices, celery and carrots. Cook for another 4 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Stir in garlic and lentils and continue stirring for one minute, making sure garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add 8 cups of stock and bring to a low boil. Add cauliflower and then reduce to simmer and cook uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, making sure the lentils don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. The lentils and cauliflower will soak up much of the liquid. Monitor to be sure all veggies are covered in stock, adding more as needed. (If liquid runs low and you don't have any more stock, add in water, as needed).
- Use an immersion blender to partially puree soup. Leave a few carrots and cauliflower florets in tact for added texture.
- Taste for seasoning, adding more S + P as needed. If you like a more spicy soup, ½ teaspoon white pepper is a good choice. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
- Soup will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for 3 months.
Notes
CAULIFLOWER: 1 small head cauliflower is about 3 cups chopped. OR you can use about ½ large head, or 3 cups frozen cauliflower florets.
VEGETABLE STOCK: I use homemade veggie stock with no added salt. It's easy to make and freeze to have on hand when needed. If you buy premade veggie broth, look for a brand with the least amount of added sodium and processed oils. You may need to adjust the salt too.
MEAL PREP AND STORAGE
- TO SERVE: Serve warm with crusty bread, or crackers. A simple green salad or arugula avocado salad will go well with this soup.
- TO PREP AHEAD: Chop onions, carrots, celery and cauliflower up to 2 days in advance. Store chopped veggies in storage containers in the fridge. Make soup when it's convenient for you and reheat when ready to serve.
- TO STORE: Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for 3 months.
- TO FREEZE: Keep in mind, soup will expand when it freezes so leave a bit of space in your container. Use freezer safe zip top bags or wide mouth mason jars.
- TO REHEAT: Reheat gently over medium heat on the stovetop, until heated through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 77kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 604mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g