Honestly, we're not a huge fan of soups, especially when they don’t have chicken in them, but this healthy simple vegetable soup recipe with tons of veggies is a keeper! Benefits include: using up vegetables and not being hungry after. Plus getting in some lycopene, folate, iron and other good things into your body.

This veggie soup totally surprised us, in a good way. In a way where we wasn’t left begging the pigeons for crumbs during our daily walk after lunch. We were fully satiated and happy. Let us tell you after the holidays, we needed a soup like that. A soup without meat.

At first, we named it, creatively, “Many vegetable soup”, because we used up many different vegetables while making it. It might sound uneducated, but you don’t need education to make this healthy recipe. It’s simple to prep.

But first, get out a scroll of paper and write down the infinite list of vegetables you’ll need for the soup (you don’t need all of them):

Simple Vegetable Soup Ingredients

French lentils – have them soaked for a few hours to remove antinutrients
onion
potato
carrot
white button mushrooms
cauliflower (optional – we needed to use it up)
scallions
garlic
kale (or other greens you like to cook like spinach)
salt, olive oil and water
tomato paste
fresh herbs
Spices: paprika, cumin, oregano, crushed red pepper

How it comes together

The motto is chop chop chop, bring to a boil, simmer and eat.

So start by washing all the vegetables you will need. Thinly chop the onion, carrot and the potato.

Free up the cutting board and transfer these to a bowl. Then thinly chop the cauliflower, the scallions, kale, herbs. Also the mushrooms.

Now start sauteeing the onion with paprika, cumin, dried oregano, crushed red pepper and some olive oil to get things going. This will be 1-2 minutes.

Then add in the carrots, potatoes and some of the water to bring down the heat. Add in the lentils, a few good pinches of salt (if you’re using stock you might not need to do it) and the rest of the water, cover with a lid and bring to a boil.

Once boiling reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Then stir in the tomato paste and do a taste test for salt. If needed add some.

Then add in the minced garlic, scallions, kale, mushrooms and cauliflower, fresh herbs.

Increase heat slightly and cook for 5-10 more minutes as needed.

Enjoy with some fresh herbs on top.

Vegetable soup

Yield: 5
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2/3 cup French lentils*
1 large onion, thinly chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
2 carrot, thinly chopped
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp crushed red pepper
a few pinches of salt**
2 tbsp olive oil
4-5 cups water (or stock)
4-5 white button mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
3 scallions, thinly chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cup kale, thinly chopped
2-3 tbsp tomato paste (as needed)
Fresh dill and oregano (or other herbs you like)

Method

Start by washing all the vegetables you will need. Thinly chop the onion, carrot and the potato. Free up the cutting board and transfer these to a bowl. Then thinly chop the cauliflower, the scallions, kale, herbs. Also the mushrooms.
Now start sauteeing the onion with paprika, cumin, dried oregano, crushed red pepper and some olive oil to get things going. This will be 1-2 minutes.
Then add in the carrots, potatoes and some of the water to bring down the heat.
Add in the lentils, a few good pinches of salt (if you’re using stock you might not need to do it) and the rest of the water, cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
Once boiling reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
At this point the lentils should be tender. Once they are, stir in the tomato paste and do a taste test for salt. If needed add some salt.
Then add in the minced garlic, scallions, kale, mushrooms and cauliflower, fresh herbs.
Increase heat slightly and cook for 5-10 more minutes as needed.
Enjoy with some fresh herbs on top.